Forest Park

Forest Park is an historic residential neighborhood on the northern slope of Red Mountain, southeast of downtown Birmingham. The main residential neighborhoods were designed and developed by the Jemison Company beginning in 1906.

A small commercial district on Clairmont Avenue includes Zoe's Forest Park, Maralyn Wilson Gallery, V. Richards, Naked Art, Silvertron Café, Little Savannah, La Reunion, and Gaia's.

History

The first subdivision in Forest Park was Mountain Terrace, developed by the Jemison Company in 1906 with landscape design by Samuel Parsons, Jr of New York. The same pattern of residential roads following the contours of the hillside was continued in later subdivisions through the next two decades. These include Glenwood, Valley View, Altamont, and Forest Hill.

Neighborhood

In the Birmingham Community Participation Program, Forest Park is part of the Forest Park-South Avondale neighborhood in the Red Mountain community.

Historic district

It has been designated a local historic district by the Birmingham Historical Commission and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The Forest Park Historic District includes the area surrounding Clairmont Avenue and Highland Golf Course from 38th Street South to Linwood Road and from Cherry Street to Overlook Avenue.

A historical marker at Triangle Park on Clairmont Avenue was erected in 1981.

References

• Browne, Catherine Greene. (1992) The History of Forest Park. Birmingham: Cather Publishing Co.