5th Avenue North: Difference between revisions

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* [[16th Street North]] intersection
* [[16th Street North]] intersection
** North side:
** North side ([[Block 44]]):
*** 1600-1630: [[Kelly Ingram Park]] (formerly [[West Park]] or [[West End Park]])
*** 1600-1630: [[Kelly Ingram Park]] (formerly [[West Park]] or [[West End Park]])
** South side:
** South side ([[Block 63]]):
*** 1601-1631 (addressed 1617): [[Freedom Manor]] apartments (built 1986)
*** 1601-1631 (addressed 1617): [[Freedom Manor]] apartments (built 1986)
*** 1603: former location of [[A&P|Great A&P Tea Co.]] grocery store (1926)
*** 1603: former location of [[A&P|Great A&P Tea Co.]] grocery store (1926)
Line 60: Line 60:


* [[17th Street North]] intersection
* [[17th Street North]] intersection
** North side:
** North side ([[Block 45]]):
*** 1702: former location of [[O'Keefe & Lyons Electric Co.]] (1926)
*** 1700-1730: [[Birmingham Parking Authority]] [[Birmingham Parking Authority Deck 7|Deck 7]] (built 1987)
*** [[1704 5th Avenue North|1704]]: [[City Action Partnership]]
**** 1700: former location of ''[[Birmingham Times]]'' (1970)
*** 1714: former location of [[J. LaLoge]] Baker (1887)
**** 1702: former location of [[O'Keefe & Lyons Electric Co.]] (1926)
*** 1716: former location of [[Church of the Nazarene]] (1926)
**** 1704: [[City Action Partnership]]
*** 1718-1722: former location of [[DeSoto Hotel]] annex (1926)
**** 1712: [[Juanakee Adams]], optometrist
*** 1726: former location of [[Oriental Tea & Coffee Co.]] (1926)
**** 1714: former location of [[J. LaLoge]] Baker (1887)
*** 1728: former location of [[Erie Leather Co.]] (1926)
**** 1716: [[Huggs & Kisses]] sick child care, former location of [[Church of the Nazarene]] (1926)
*** 1730: former location of [[Bill's Place]]
**** 1718-1722: former location of [[DeSoto Hotel]] annex (1926), [[Drive-It-Yourself]] truck rental (1970)
** South side
**** 1724: former location of [[Western Union]] office (1970)
*** [[1729 5th Avenue North|1701-1729]]: [[Hugo L. Black Federal Courthouse]], former site of [[Roden Hotel]] and [[Adamson Ford]]
**** 1726: former location of [[Oriental Tea & Coffee Co.]] (1926), [[Reid Distributing Co.]] (1970)
**** 1701: former location of [[Contos & Apostolakos]] restaurant (1928)
**** 1728: former location of [[Erie Leather Co.]] (1926), hotel lobby (1970)
**** 1730: former location of [[Bill's Place]], [[Music Center]] (1970)
** South side ([[Block 62]])
*** [[1729 5th Avenue North|1701-1729]]:
**** 1701-1713: [[Hugo L. Black Federal Courthouse]] parking lot (1987-)
***** 1701: former location of [[Contos & Apostolakos]] restaurant (1928)
**** 1715-1731: [[Hugo L. Black Federal Courthouse]] (built 1987), former site of [[Benjamin Roden residence]] (demolished 1913), [[Roden Hotel]] (never completed, demolished 1917), [[Hill's Food Store]] (1970), [[Adamson Ford]]


* [[18th Street North]] intersection
* [[18th Street North]] intersection
** North side
** North side ([[Block 46]])
*** 1800-1830: [[Robert S. Vance Federal Building]] (built 1921)
*** 1800-1830: [[Robert S. Vance Federal Building]] (built 1921)
** South side
** South side ([[Block 61]])
*** 1801: [[Federal Reserve Building]]
*** 1801: [[Federal Reserve Building]] (built 1924), [[Robertson Banking Company]]
*** 1819: former location of [[Run-A-Ford Co.]] (1926)
*** 1803-1813: [[Federal Reserve Annex]] (built 1957), [[Urban Cookhouse]]
*** 1821: former location of [[Fraser's Garage]] (1926)
*** 1819-1831: [[One Federal Place]] (built 2002)
*** 1823: former location of the [[House of Exotics]] patio lounge
**** 1819: former location of [[Run-A-Ford Co.]] (1926)
**** 1823½: former location of [[Industrial Life & Health Insurance Co.]] (1926)
**** 1821: former location of [[Fraser's Garage]] (1926), [[Alabama Typewriter Co.]] (1970)
*** 1829: former location of [[Mayer's Wall Paper & Frame Shop]] (1926)
**** 1823: former location of jewelry store (1970), [[House of Exotics]] patio lounge
*** 1831: former location of [[Excelsior Cafe]] (1928)
***** 1823½: former location of [[Industrial Life & Health Insurance Co.]] (1926), luggage store (1970)
**** 1829: former location of [[Mayer's Wall Paper & Frame Shop]] (1926)
**** 1831: former location of [[Excelsior Cafe]] (1928), [[Post Office Cafe]] (1970)


===[[Central City neighborhood]]===
===[[Central City neighborhood]]===

Revision as of 16:02, 23 January 2018

5th Avenue North is an east-west downtown street in Birmingham's northside. It ends at a drainage headwall for Valley Creek at 7th Street North to the west and becomes Messer Airport Highway to the east as it crosses below the Elton B. Stephens Expressway and the Norfolk Southern Railroad.

The eastern end of 5th Avenue North downtown was once the principal entranceway into Birmingham by rail, as it was the site of the Birmingham Terminal Station. Many of Birmingham's early hotels were constructed along 5th Avenue heading west toward 20th street from the station.

The intersection of 5th Avenue North with 24th Street North is close to the geographical center of Birmingham. A large storm culvert extends from downtown to I-65 below 5th Avenue North.

There is a short, block-long strip of 5th Avenue North adjacent to Forest Hill Cemetery in Woodlawn and another dead-end section between Trotwood Park and I-59. A longer section of 5th Avenue North is located in East Lake between 73rd and 90th Streets. An unconnected short dead-end section can also be accessed by 91st Street North near Zion Memorial Gardens.

History

In 1945 electric lighting was installed on 5th Avenue North between Center Street and 19th street under the city's contract with the Birmingham Electric Company.

In October 1958 5th Avenue North was converted into a four-lane thoroughfare by eliminating on-street parking from Bush Boulevard in the west to 41st Street in Avondale. The move was expected to increase the street's traffic-carrying capacity by 30 percent and was part of a traffic plan by which 1st and 5th Avenues would serve as cross-town thoroughfares while 2nd, 3rd and 4th would serve for bus traffic and as connectors to the downtown business district. The installation of new coordinated traffic signals and the removal of obsolete streetcar wires was part of the conversion.

5th Avenue North was converted from two-way to one-way (eastbound) traffic was from 9th Street North to Red Mountain Expressway in 1973 by the Alabama Department of Transportation's TOPICS (Traffic Operations Program to Increase Capacity and Safety) program.

Notable locations

Fountain Heights neighborhood

Central City neighborhood

Woodlawn neighborhood

North East Lake neighborhood

References

  • "Fun facts, historical tidbits and tips to find your way around Birmingham from traffic engineer John Garrett." (January 2, 2007) Birmingham News
  • "Fifth Avenue Becomes Through-Street" (October __, 1958) Birmingham News
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