Goldstein building
The Goldstein building is a two-and-a-half story commercial building located on 1801-1811 3rd Avenue North at the southeast corner of 18th Street.
Prior to the construction of the Alabama Theatre around it, what became known as the Goldstein building was two separate buildings: a two-story one at the corner of 3rd Avenue and 18th Street and a one-story building adjacent to it. During the construction of the Alabama in 1927, the building was rebuilt in its current form. Paramount had planned to include the space occupied by the Goldstein building as part of the Alabama, but the owners refused to sell, forcing Paramount to redesign the Alabama as an L-shaped building instead of a rectangle.
The building takes its name from Goldstein's Furs, which was the building's most prominent business tenant up until it closed in the 1980s. Goldstein's used the second floor for their cold storage facility. Sometime after 1959
In 1992, Alabama Theatre owner Birmingham Landmarks purchased the Goldstein building. They initially used the second floor as rehearsal space and opened the ground-floor corner space to the City Action Partnership as headquarters for their uniformed security and assistance patrols. A shallow overhanging mansard of Spanish tile was added over the top of the building's roof parapet.
In 2007, Birmingham Landmarks began converting the second floor and former Goldstein's retail space into the Hill Arts Center. This required an additional staircase down through the space at 1801 due to fire regulations, forcing CAP to find a new home.
Tenants
- 1801: former location of Dewberry Drug Co. (1900s-1929), Alabama Cigar & Soda Company (c. 1959), House of $8.50 Eyeglasses (1964), City Action Partnership (2000s)
- 1803: Don's Hair Care (formerly Mark's Hat Shop, c. 1959)
- 1805-1807: formerly Roberta's (c. 1959)
- 1809:
- 1811: Hill Arts Center (formerly Goldstein's Furs)
| To left: Alabama Theatre |
3rd Avenue North 1801-1811 |
To right: 18th Street North |
References
- Cuthbert, Matt. (June 24, 2008). "The arts of the Alabama." The Birmingham News.
- "Where Timeless Elegance Meets Sophisticated Style." (n.d.) Birmingham Landmarks.