Phelan Park

Phelan Park is a small neighborhood park located in the Five Points South neighborhood between 13th and 14th Avenue South at 15th Street. The park was established in 1907 and named for pioneer homesteader Ellis Phelan, one of the first to take up residence in the area surrounding what became Five Points South.

The neighborhood around the park declined in the 1980s and 90s and the park itself was frequented by prostitutes and drug users. A clean-up effort has been largely successful, helped by the arrival of Dreamland Bar-B-Q's first Birmingham location.

The triangular park now contains a small playground area and a paved plaza with picnic tables, located directly across from Dreamland. The park is the centerpiece of the Phelan Park Historic District, a local historic and commercial revitalization district which is recognized by the city of Birmingham.

The Five Points South neighborhood association, together with the city and the Magic City Blues Society, sponsor the Phelan Park Music Series of free blues concerts in the park in the Spring and Fall.

External links

• Personal Stories from Southside at stevenfordbrown.com