1st Avenue South: Difference between revisions

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** 5509: former location of [[Quality Laundry]] (1926)
** 5509: former location of [[Quality Laundry]] (1926)
** 5519: used car lot
** 5519: used car lot
* [[55th Place South]] intersection
 
* [[55th Place South]] intersects
** 5521: former location of  [[Wadsworth Service Station]] / [[Bill Gantt Flooring Co.]] (1964-1970), [[Allied Electric Motor Service]] (2007)
** 5521: former location of  [[Wadsworth Service Station]] / [[Bill Gantt Flooring Co.]] (1964-1970), [[Allied Electric Motor Service]] (2007)
** 5524: former location of [[Zarzour's Peacock Drive Inn]] (1958), [[Bill & Edna's Restaurant]] / [[Halwood Candy Co.]] (1964), [[Flo's Restaurant & Lounge]] (1970)
** 5524: former location of [[Zarzour's Peacock Drive Inn]] (1958), [[Bill & Edna's Restaurant]] / [[Halwood Candy Co.]] (1964), [[Flo's Restaurant & Lounge]] (1970)
Line 246: Line 247:
*** 5529: former location of [[Sound & Page]] listening room (2013–2014), [[Open Shop]] (opened December 2014)
*** 5529: former location of [[Sound & Page]] listening room (2013–2014), [[Open Shop]] (opened December 2014)
** 5528: former location of [[Royal Custom Cabinetry]] / [[Royal Custom Coin-O-Matic]] (1964), [[Superior Engraving]] (1970),  [[City Arts Boutique]] (2011–2013)
** 5528: former location of [[Royal Custom Cabinetry]] / [[Royal Custom Coin-O-Matic]] (1964), [[Superior Engraving]] (1970),  [[City Arts Boutique]] (2011–2013)
** 5530: [[Woodlawn Cycle Cafe]]
** 5530: former location of [[Woodlawn Cycle Cafe]] ([[Armand Margjeka]] & [[Kyle Campbell]] 2016–2020)
** 5532: former location of [[James Faulkner]] / [[Donald Slappey]] physicians (1964), [[Slappey, Faulkner & Morris]] physicians (1970)
** 5532: former location of [[James Faulkner]] / [[Donald Slappey]] physicians (1964), [[Slappey, Faulkner & Morris]] physicians (1970)
** 5536–5544: [[AT&T]], formerly [[Southern Bell]] [[Woodlawn Exchange]], [[South Central Bell]]
** 5536–5544: [[AT&T]], formerly [[Southern Bell]] [[Woodlawn Exchange]], [[South Central Bell]]
*** 5544: [[Friendly Sitters]] / [[Home South Mortgage Service]] / [[Safelite Auto Glass]] / [[Vet-Co Inc.]] (2007)
*** 5544: [[Friendly Sitters]] / [[Home South Mortgage Service]] / [[Safelite Auto Glass]] / [[Vet-Co Inc.]] (2007)
* [[56th Street South]] intersection
** 5600: [[Mays Auto & Tire]] (2007–), former location of [[Spivey's Gulf Service Station]] (1941), [[Woodlawn Gulf Service Station]] (1964-1970)
** 5601: former location of [[Newman Cleaners & Dyers]] (1941), [[Hendrix Super Texaco]] (1964–1970), [[Stinnett Transmission Inc.]] (2007)
** 5607: former location of [[Paul Longshore]] dentist (1964-1970), [[Gerald R. Vines]] accountant (2007)
** 5612: former location of [[Frostop]] drive-in / [[Better Food Stops Inc.]] (1964), [[Kentucky Fried Chicken]] (1970), [[R & F Inc.]] convenience store  / [[Super Sound]] car stereo (2007)
** 5704: [[Interfaith Hospitality House]] (1983–2009)
** 5705: [[Faush Metropolitan Manor]] apartments (2007)
** 5707: former location of [[Roy Kracke Jr]] dentist (1964–1970)
** 5715: former location of [[Jerome Weaver]] physician (1964–1970)
** 5720: [[Christ Health Center]] (2009-), formerly [[Jefferson County Department of Health]] [[Eastern Health Center]] (1964–2008)
** 5729: former location of the [[Robinette Apartments]] (1941–1970)


* [[Georgia Road]] intersection
* [[56th Street South]] intersects
** north side:
*** 5600: former location of [[Spivey's Gulf Service Station]] (1941), [[Woodlawn Gulf Service Station]] (1964-1970), [[Mays Auto & Tire]] ([[Dwight Mays|Dwight]] & [[Edna Mays]] 1980s–2021)
*** 5608: former location of [[D & E Auto Sales]] ([[Dwight Mays|Dwight]] & [[Edna Mays]] 1990s–2021)
*** 5612:  [[R & F Inc.]] convenience store (2007–), former location of [[Frostop]] drive-in / [[Better Food Stops Inc.]] (1964), [[Kentucky Fried Chicken]] (1970) [[Super Sound]] car stereo (2007)
** south side:
*** 5601: former location of [[Newman Cleaners & Dyers]] (1941), [[Hendrix Super Texaco]] (1964–1970), [[Stinnett Transmission Inc.]] (2007)
*** 5607: [[Gerald Vines]] accountant (2007–), former location of [[Paul Longshore]] dentist (1964-1970),
*** 5613: vacant lot
*** 5621 (100 57th Street South): [[Woodlawn Dental]] ([[M. Dale Williams]] 2008–)
 
* [[57th Street South]] intersects
** north side:
*** 5704: [[Interfaith Hospitality House]] (1983–2009)
*** 5720: [[Christ Health Center]] (2009-), former location of [[Jefferson County Department of Health]] [[Eastern Health Center]] (1964–2008)
*** 5804–5812: [[Live Oaks Clinic]] (built 2019)
** south side:
*** 5701–5731: [[Faush Metropolitan Manor]] apartments (2007)
**** 5707: former location of [[Roy Kracke Jr]] dentist (1964–1970)
**** 5715: former location of [[Jerome Weaver]] physician (1964–1970)
**** 5729: former location of the [[Robinette Apartments]] (1941–1970)
 
* [[Georgia Road]] intersects
** 5813: former location of [[Butler Service Station]] (1941), [[Battery Stores Exchange]] (1964-1970)
** 5813: former location of [[Butler Service Station]] (1941), [[Battery Stores Exchange]] (1964-1970)
** 5819: former location of [[Reese Engineering Co.]] warehouse (1964)
** 5819: former location of [[Reese Engineering Co.]] warehouse (1964)

Revision as of 15:58, 20 May 2021

1st Avenue South (originally called Avenue A) is an east-west avenue in Birmingham running from I-65 in the west to Roebuck in the east. In the downtown area it is just south of Powell Avenue and one block from the Railroad Reservation. As it proceeds eastward it is interrupted by I-20/59 near Gate City and resumes in Woodlawn separated from 1st Avenue North by Division Avenue. It is once again interrupted by I-59 at 82nd Street South in East Lake and then terminates at 87th Street South just shy of Parkway East near the Roebuck Municipal Golf Course

The downtown section of 1st Avenue South is undergoing large scale redevelopment. It the main frontage for the Railroad Park between 14th and 18th Streets, and is also experiencing significant redevelopment around the location of the 1st Avenue Cut, which was redeveloped as the Rotary Trail. In 2016 the Birmingham City Council approved changing the name of a two-block section of 1st Avenue South adjacent to Regions Field to Willie Mays Drive.

Railway cut

Main article: 1st Avenue South railway cut
The 1st Avenue Cut, looking west from the 24th Street Viaduct in 2005

The 1st Avenue Cut is a depressed railroad bed which formerly served the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, which runs through the center of 1st Avenue South, below grade, from 20th Street South to 24th Street South. The reinforced concrete construction creating the grade separation was begun in the mid-1890s.

The presentation of the City Center Master Plan in 2005 showed the possibility of filling the cut to create a tree-lined boulevard. Some residents, vocally represented by then-City Councilor Elias Hendricks, expressed their view that the cut should be preserved for its interpretive and nostalgic value, but "cleaned up" to make it an asset to the area. The Central City neighborhood sponsored a clean-up day for the cut in June, 2005.

Main article: Rotary Trail

In 2016 the Rotary Club of Birmingham partnered with the city of Birmingham, Freshwater Land Trust, Operation New Birmingham and the Railroad Park Foundation to redevelop The cut as a linear public park, known as the "Rotary Trail". The park is part of the Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System, connecting Railroad Park with Sloss Furnaces and beyond.

East of downtown

Moving east from the 24th Street viaduct the street is home to recent construction on the former Seaboard Air Line Railroad yard and spillover from the adjacent "Design District" around Dr Pepper Place in Lakeview. The 24th Street viaduct and Red Mountain Expressway overpass occasionally shelter small groups of homeless persons. The CSX 32nd Street Yard was active on the south side of the street until 2012. Until then it had often provided a staging area for the Ringling Bros & Barnum & Bailey's Circus train.

Red Light District

The area around the western ends of the railyards served as Birmingham's Red Light District in the early 20th century.

According to a 1909 report by Mayor George Ward the policy of "Segregation" had a positive effect:

"It has reduced the number of unfortunates in our midst over 75 per cent by driving hundreds away. It has reclaimed every other section of the city from suspicion and contamination. It has made it possible for women and children to go and be seen in every other part of the city at all times without fear of being misunderstood or embarassed. It has done more to prevent thievery, debauchery, and murder; more to prevent insidious temptation; more to reduce licentiousness, incipient and chronic, than can ever by known by the public or the authorities. This district should be regulated sternly; treated fairly; kept in the background, and conditions improved from year to year."1.

The best known house in the district was operated by Blanche Bernard who, banned from soliciting at the Terminal Station instead offered gentlemen a free carriage to their hotel. The catch was that even if their hotel was located just down 5th Avenue North, the carriage would always tarry around the Southside Loop to show off the attractions of the Red Light District. The houses were finally razed in the 1930s.

On the relatively isolated stretch between 35th and 41st Streets there is frequent drag racing in the late evenings. Past 41st Street, 1st Avenue peters out into a local-access street.

East end

1st Avenue South re-appears in downtown Woodlawn. Morse Avenue, now vacated within the Connors Steel plant, was renumbered as a disconnected section of 1st Avenue South.

Georgia Road forks away to the south at 58th Street. The avenue continues underneath I-20 into East Lake and continues through 20 blocks of predominantly residential areas until it is again interrupted by I-59 a few blocks shy of its eastern end at 87th Street.

Notable locations

For an alphabetical list of locations, see the 1st Avenue South category.

North Titusville

Five Points South neighborhood

Southside neighborhood

North Avondale/Southside neighborhood

North Avondale/Forest Park-South Avondale

  • 42nd Street South intersection (south only)

North Avondale/East Avondale

East Avondale

  • 44th Street South intersection (north only)
    • 4500: (road terminus)
    • Road terminus
  • 48th Street South intersection
  • 50th Street South (road terminus)

Woodlawn

South Woodlawn

View looking east from 64th street in 1919

East Lake neighborhood

South East Lake

Notes

  • (Ward - 1909)

References

External links

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