Birmingham Cold Storage Warehouse
The Birmingham Cold Storage Warehouse, or Public Cold Storage Warehouse, is a vacant 7-story brick warehouse building located on Block 163, on the northwest corner of 5th Avenue South and 22nd Street. It was constructed between 1914 and 1916 by William Rushton's Birmingham Ice & Cold Storage Co., whose ice factory was located across the street.
The capacity of the warehouse was reported at "550 carlots" in 1923. A 1940 expansion of the warehouse was designed by architect D. O. Whillden. The warehouse was served by a railroad spur running along a protected platform on the 5th Avenue side of the building. Trucks were serviced from separate platforms accessed via recesses in the 22nd Street facade and on the west-facing rear of the building.
The Birmingham Ice & Cold Storage Co. ceased operations in 1973. The warehouse was later acquired by the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation. In 2020 UAB proposed to demolish the building for a 103-space surface parking lot, with long-term plans for construction of a multi-level parking deck on the site. The Five Points South Neighborhood Association approved the plans, which were then submitted to the Birmingham Design Review Committee.
The building was demolished in 2023–2024.
References
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (January 1954) The Wholesale Produce Market at Birmingham, Ala.
- Van der Bijl, Hanno (February 25, 2020) "UAB proposes demolition of large Southside property." Birmingham Business Journal