Underground river
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There are numerous references to an underground river flowing beneath downtown Birmingham. The Birmingham News' Walter Bryant collected several reports in a 1975 article:
- An office in the vicinity of 5th Avenue North and 22nd Street advertised "Mystic Underground River" excursions during the 1880s and 1890s.
- Access to an underground stream near Highland Avenue and 23rd Street South was sealed by the city in the early 1900s.
- A spring surfaced at 5th Avenue South and 22nd Street.
- Construction of the Tutwiler Hotel (1914) was delayed by the need to add steel beams to the foundation in order to span the river's cavern.
- The Florentine Building (1927), which was planned as a 10-story building, only went to 2 stories because of the presence of the underground stream.
- The Federal Reserve building's 1957 annex was beset by foundation flooding. The excavation was pumped out continuously during construction.
- Construction of the Daniel Building (1967) was delayed as engineers searched for areas of solid bedrock on which to erect caissons.
Reference
- Bryant, Walter (November 27, 1975) Birmingham News.