Eli's Barbecue
Eli's Barbecue (later Eli's, Eli's Drive-In or Eli's Sky Castle Drive-In) was a barbecue restaurant located at 2830 7th Avenue South in Lakeview. It was founded in 1946 by Eli Coirie and featured skillet-fried chicken and fresh-made pies as well as pit barbecue. The restaurant stayed open until 2:00 AM on weekends to serve late diners and provided curb service at all times.
Eli's was damaged by fire on March 6, 1950 and was repaired by contractor Thomas Brasfield, reopening later the same month. Another remodeling, with a $10,000 "all-electric kitchen," was completed in 1956. Through the mid-to-late 1950s, WSGN-AM operated a "Sky Castle" broadcast booth behind the restaurant, which increased its popularity as a cruising spot for teenagers.
Coirie sold the business to Ed Salem in 1958 and the Sky Castle continued to operate from the parking lot of what then became Ed Salem's No. 3 Drive-In.
References
- Eli's Barbecue advertisement (March 1950) The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Rewound
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