3rd Avenue North
Third Avenue North is an east-west street running through downtown Birmingham. The westernmost section by that name ends at Center Street, although the road continues further west through as 3rd Avenue West. The easternmost section ends at 88th Street, just west of Roebuck Municipal Golf Course.
Third Avenue is continuous from Center Street to Carraway Boulevard (formerly 26th Street North). At that point, it is interrupted by the 2nd Avenue North off-ramp of the Elton B. Stephens Expressway and railroad tracks. The road is one way eastbound from 9th to 26th Street North. There is a short segment of 3rd on the west side of 28th Street North. The next segment curves from 29th Street northward to line up with 31st Street North across Messer Airport Highway.
The avenue does not appear again eastward until Forest Hills Cemetery next to the I-20/I-59 interchange. At this point, Richard Arrington, Jr. Boulevard North (formerly 10th Avenue North), becomes 3rd Avenue. Third then continues northeast with some gaps, notably at Trotwood Park, I-59, and East Lake Park, to 88th Street.
The two-way portion of 3rd Avenue from Center Street to 9th Avenue is five lanes wide. The one way portion is four lanes from 9th to 14th Street North and three lanes from 14th to between 24th and 25th Street. At this point, the left lane becomes an on-ramp for the Elton B. Stephens Expressway. Throughout the 1970s and most of the 1980s, this on-ramp was the northernmost point to get on the expressway as it did not connect to I-20/I-59 at that time. Third avenue continues as two lanes under the expressway to Carraway Boulevard. The rest of the road segments east of here are two lanes as well.
History
The initial commercial expansion on 3rd Avenue took place on the south side of the street during the 1880s between 20th and 21st Streets. Third Avenue was also where the first two county courthouses in Birmingham were built (at 21st Street). The courthouse attracted other development to the intersection where it was located, such as the Title Guaranty Building.
Notable locations
- For an alphabetical list of locations, see the 3rd Avenue North category.
- 530: 6th Street Peace Baptist Church
- 900 block: Adams Inn
- 1000 block:
- Interstate 65 overpass/ramps
- 1005: former location of Refrigeration Service Co., Inc.
- 1229: Birmingham Urban League
- 1300: former location of Catfish King
- 1301: Jim Burke Nissan
- 1313: Kings Inn motel (formerly Knights Inn)
- 1400: Edwards Chevrolet
- 1501: Firehouse Shelter
- 16th Street North intersection
- North side (Block 70)
- 1600: former location of Modern Sign Company
- 1630: former location of the Mecca Hotel (candy shop and cafe)
- South side (Block 89)
- 1601: Etheridge Brothers Barber & Style No. 1
- 1631: former auto storage garage
- North side (Block 70)
- 17th Street North intersection
- North side (Block 71)
- 1700: former location of Pantage's Theatre
- 1708: former parking lot
- 1710: former location of R. F. Cain Furniture
- 1712: former location of Bagley's Gas Appliance
- 1716: former location of Shanghai-Low Cafe
- 1718: former location of Little Venice restaurant
- 1720: former location of a pawn shop
- 1730: former location of Calder Furniture
- South side (Block 88)
- 1701: former location of lunch room
- 1703: former location of Hotpoint Electric Supplies
- 1709: former location of Joyce Motorcycle Company
- 1711: former location of Gluck Hat Cleaning
- 1713: Check Holders LLC, former location of a music school
- 1715: Chesterfield Company / E-Z Finance Co., former location of a print shop
- 1717: former location of First City Mortgage
- 1723: former location of Regal Beauty Equipment
- 1725: former location of Seals Piano Company
- 1727: former location of hat cleaners
- 1729: former loan office
- 1731: former location of Jimmie's Soda and Cigar
- North side (Block 71)
- 18th Street North intersection
- North side (Block 72)
- 1800-1808: Lyric Building
- 1800: Lyric Theatre lobby and building entrance
- 1804: First City Mortgage, former site of candy shop, House of $8.50 Eyeglasses
- 1806: Place Design Studio, former loan office
- 1808: Lyric Hot Dogs, former location of Lollard's Cafe
- 1810: former site of Majestic Theatre, Joiner Furniture, Epp's Jewelry
- 1812: former shoe shine parlor and lunch counter
- 1814: former shooting gallery
- 1816: former location of Dailey's Clothes
- 1818: The Playhouse, former location of Duke Brothers Furniture, Cable Piano Company
- 1820: former location of Kilgore Furniture
- 1824: former ladies' clothier
- 1826: former location of Dan Cohen Shoe Store
- 1800-1808: Lyric Building
- South side (Block 87)
- Alabama Walk of Fame
- 1801-1811: Goldstein building
- 1801: former drug store, headquarters of City Action Partnership
- 1803: former millinery shop
- 1805: former children's clothier
- 1807: former millinery shop
- 1809: former furrier
- 1811: Hill Arts Center
- 1813-1817: Alabama Theatre building
- 1813: office space
- 1815: former storefront (now used only for displays)
- 1817: Alabama Theatre proper
- 1819: former Loveman's Annex, now part of McWane Science Center
- 1821-1831: McWane Science Center (previously Loveman's)
- North side (Block 72)
- 19th Street North intersection
- North side (Block 73)
- 1900-1914: Atrium Center (originally Burger-Phillips Centre)
- 1900: S. H. Kress building (former site of the Wright Building)
- 1908: former location of Cobb's Ladies Clothing
- 1910: Atrium Building (former location of Sojourns)
- 1912: former location of Burger-Phillips mens' department
- 1914: Crittenden Building/Burger-Phillips building
- 1918: former location of Dan Cohen Co., Hanover Shoe Company
- 1920: Speakeasy 1920, former location of Chandler's Shoe Store
- 1924-1926: Kessler Building
- 1924: former location of millinery shop
- 1926: former location of Kessler's ready-to-wear
- 1930: Blach's building
- 1932: former furrier
- 1924: former location of Wallock's
- 1900-1914: Atrium Center (originally Burger-Phillips Centre)
- South side (Block 86)
- 1901: former location of F. W. Woolworth
- 1911: New Williams Lofts (former location of New Williams, previously House of Jacobs)
- 1913: former location of Clark & Jones piano company, Nisley Shoes
- 1915: former location of Odum-Bowers and White Clothing Co.
- 1919: former location of Bond Clothing Company
- 1921: former location of Newsome's candy store, The Vanity boutique, Maurice boutique
- 1923: Moore Solutions (formerly the Bonita Theater, Rialto Theatre, and Gift World), former site of Guarantee Shoe Company
- 1929-1939: Farley Building, former home of the Altrurian Society
- 1929: former hat shop
- 1931: Brannon's, former dress shop
- 1933: building entrance
- 1935: former location of Liggett's Drug Store
- North side (Block 73)
- 20th Street North intersection
- North side (Block 74)
- 2000-2008: Watts Building
- 2000: former location of People's Finance & Thrift, Butler's Shoe Store
- 2006: former location of Rye-Ola bottling plant, optician
- 2008: building entrance
- 2010: former location of Britling Cafeteria No. 3
- 2012-2014: former location of House of Jacobs furniture store
- 2012: former location of Empire Theatre
- 2016: former location of Sherwin-Williams Paint Store
- 2018: former location of Rhodes-Carroll Furniture
- 2020: former location of Devoe and Reynolds Paint & Paper
- 2020: former location of Molton, Allen & Williams real estate
- 2022: former location of Avondale Building and Loan
- 2024: Title Building
- 2024: former location of the Silver Pheasant Tea Room and Peddinghaus Studio
- 2000-2008: Watts Building
- South side (Block 85)
- 2001: former location of Porter Clothing Company and newsstand
- 2005: former location of Selby Shoe Company
- 2009: former location of Hooper's Cafe
- 2011: former location of Baptist Book Store, former gift shop
- 2013: former location of Dupont Paint Company
- 2015: former location of Acme White Lead & Color Works
- 2017: Eubanks Mercantile building, (formerly Hawthorn Gallery, Wallace Furniture and Amaro-Spencer Furniture)
- 2021: O'Neill Building (Reed Books), former location of Economy Auto Stores and Jefferson Home Furniture
- 2025: Massey Building
- 2025: building entrance, Moe's Original BBQ
- 2027: former location of Investor's Syndicate
- 2029: Remon's, former cigar and soda shop
- North side (Block 74)
- Intersection of 21st Street North
- North side (Block 75)
- former location of Bankers Mortgage Bond Company
- 2100: One Concord Center, former parking lot
- 2100: Surin & Co.
- 2110: St Paul's Rectory
- 2120: St Paul's Catholic Church
- South side (Block 84)
- 2010: former location of the Jemison Building (Jemison Realty Company, Jemison-Seibels Insurance Co.)
- 2109: former location of the Alabama Title & Trust Company
- 2113: former location of Warner & Smith undertakers and embalmers, Downtown Bowling Center
- 2117: former location of Iron City Supply
- 2119: Edmondson Reporting & Video, John D. Saxon attorney, former location of Brown-Rogers Wall Paper & Paint
- 2121: Catholic Diocese of Birmingham
- 2125: former location of Denman & Company realtors
- 2131: Jefferson Financial Service Center
- North side (Block 75)
- 22nd Street North intersection
- North side (Block 76)
- 2200: parking lot, former site of Mabson Hotel
- 2206: former Uniform House of Dixie
- 2208-2210: Municipal and Commercial Uniforms, former Matthews & Lively Furniture
- 2210: former location of Lige Loy Undertaking Company
- 2212: Maloy & Company appraisers (former location of a boarding house)
- 2214: New Lexington Properties LLC
- 2230: Wheeler Building
- South side (Block 83)
- 2201: Magic City Grill
- 2211: former location of F. J. Bender's Furniture and Fixtures
- 2217: former location of Lucky Strike Bowling Alley
- 2225: Red Cross Building (vacant)
- 2231: former location of Edwin Stephenson's residence
- North side (Block 76)
- 23rd Street North intersection
- 2300: former location of Hooper's Café
- 24th Street North intersection
- North side (Block 77)
- 2400: YWCA Building
- South side (Block 82)
- 2401: Social Grill (vacant)
- 2403: former location of Jimmie Hale Mission
- North side (Block 77)
References
- White, Marjorie Longenecker, ed. (1980) Downtown Birmingham: Architectural and Historical Walking Tour Guide, second edition. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society.