Spring Street Fire House

From Bhamwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Spring Street Fire House, March 2011

The Spring Street Fire House is a former fire station and, later, an all-ages music club and community space at 412 41st Street South (formerly Spring Street) in the Avondale commercial district.

The two-story brick structure was built in 1890 and occupied by the Avondale Fire Department when it was formally organized in 1893. Avondale was annexed into Birmingham in 1910 and a new residential-styled Birmingham Fire Station No. 10 was constructed on 2nd Avenue South in 1926.

The building later housed the Birmingham Garment Company, which specialized in burial clothes, and Willard Early's Early Services, Inc., a mechanical contracting company. Early removed the former fire station's brass fire pole when he added air conditioning to the building and placed it in storage. The Avondale Beauty Salon was located upstairs.

Early sold the building to Ron Council, who launched his marketing firm, Advertising & Art Council, Inc., from the building, with a distinctive modern-style painted sign on the north wall. Council sold the building to Bert Smith, a manufacturers' representative. He leased the ground floor to Genry's Barber Shop, which relocated from Forest Park Village. Radix Systems also operated from the address.

In 2010 the building was leased by Nathan Barrett and Eric Wallace who renovated the second floor for their apartments and opened the ground floor as a music venue, primarily booking punk bands for all-ages audiences with no drinks served. The space also hosted monthly art shows and community events. The venue also launched the Spring Street Records label in 2011.

In April 2012 Barrett and Wallace stopped hosting concerts at the space. Artist and music producer Tim Kerr was invited to create a "Know Your History" mural on the north side of the building in 2017. In 2021 Wallace founded the Firehouse Community Arts Center, a non-profit that uses the former fire station to host one-on-one music lessons for neighborhood children.

References

  • Browne, Catherine Greene (2007) History of Avondale. Birmingham: A. H. Cather Publishing Co.
  • George, Sam (May 27, 2010) "Wildcats in the Fire House." Birmingham Weekly