3rd Avenue North: Difference between revisions

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===[[Smithfield neighborhood]]===
===[[Smithfield neighborhood]]===
* [[Center Street]] intersects
* [[Center Street]] intersects
** 30: former location of [[Rondezvous Gardens]] restaurant
** 1: former location of [[Elyton Esso]] (1964)
** 16: former location of [[Center Street Gulf Station]] (1964)
** 19: former location of [[Parker Supply Co.]] (1964)
** 24: former location of [[Weeks Trailer Co.]] (1964)
** 30: former location of [[Rendezvous Gardens]] restaurant, [[Kwik Cleaners]] & [[Dixie Spartan Sales]] (1964)
* [[1st Street North]] intersects (north only)
* [[1st Street North]] intersects (north only)
** 95: [[Alabama Cabinet Co.]]
** 95: [[Alabama Cabinet Co.]]
** 99: former location of [[Parker Supply Co.]] building materials (1964)
** 125: former location of [[Tile Distributors, Inc.]] (1964)
** 129: [[Full Service Auto & Electric]]
** 129: [[Full Service Auto & Electric]]
** 130: former location of [[Victory Freight Lines]] (1964)
* [[2nd Street North]] intersects (north only)
* [[2nd Street North]] intersects (north only)
** 200: former location of [[Alabama Bedding Manufacturing Co.]] (1964)
** [[Atlantic Coast Line Railroad]] crossing
** [[Atlantic Coast Line Railroad]] crossing
** [[Valley Creek]] passes below
** [[Valley Creek]] passes below
* [[4th Street North]] intersects
* [[4th Street North]] intersects
** 314: former location of [[Wilborn Woodworks]] (1964)
** 315: [[Clayton Industries]]
** 315: [[Clayton Industries]]
** 438-440: former location of [[Famous Market]] grocery (1964)
* [[5th Street North]] intersects
* [[5th Street North]] intersects
** 531: [[6th Street Peace Baptist Church]]
** 500: former location of [[Bell's Barber Shop]] (1964)
** 530: former location of [[Southern Flooring Co.]], [[Southern Acoustics]] (1964)
** 531: [[6th Street Peace Baptist Church]], former location of [[Sentell Oil Co.]] gas station (1964)
* [[6th Street North]] intersects
* [[6th Street North]] intersects
** 600: former location of [[The Kellum Agency]] insurance agents & [[Son Builders]] (1964)
** 619: former location of [[Freeman Standard Service Station]] (1964)
* [[6th Place North]] intersects
* [[6th Place North]] intersects
** 624: [[Jeff's Motors, Inc.]]
** 624: [[Jeff's Motors, Inc.]], former location of [[Jefferson Motors]] (1964)
** 625: former location of [[L. L. Stewart Machinery Co.]] (1964)
** 633: [[T & M Gateline]]
** 633: [[T & M Gateline]]
** 649: former location of [[Sportsman's Barber Shop]] (1964)
** 650: former location of [[Alabama Cash Register Co.]] (1964)
* [[7th Street North]] intersects
* [[7th Street North]] intersects
** 705: [[Nicole B Boutique]]
** 700: former location of [[Moffat Bearings Co.]] (1964)
** 704: former location of [[Red Front Store]] beer (1964)
** 705: [[Nicole B Boutique]], former location of [[Laundry, Dry Cleaning & Dye House Workers International Union, Local No. 218]] (1964)
** 709: former location of [[Royal Cleaners & Hatters]] (1964)
** 724: former location of [[Stringfellow Lumber Co.]] (1964)
** 727: former location of [[Appliance Parts Distributors]] (1964)
** 728: former location of [[Stringfellow Lumber Co.]] building materials (1964)
** 729: former location of [[J. B. Braswell Co.]] auto parts (1964)
** 731: former location of [[Braswell Tire Co.]] (1964)
* [[8th Street North]] intersects (south only)
* [[8th Street North]] intersects (south only)
** 800: [[Fleet Serve]]
** 800: [[Fleet Serve]]
** 801: [[Alabama Adult Books]]
** 801: [[Alabama Adult Books]], former location of [[Gold Star Barbecue]] restaurant (1964)
** 803: former location of [[Art Sign Co.]]
** 803: former location of [[Art Sign Co.]]
** 824: [[Church's Chicken]]
** 824: [[Church's Chicken]]
** 830: former location of [[Mutual Oil Co.]] gas station (1964)
* [[9th Street North]] intersects
* [[9th Street North]] intersects
** 900: [[Adams Inn]]
** 900: [[Adams Inn]]
** 907: [[UniFirst]]
** 907: [[UniFirst]], former location of [[Howard Odorless Cleaners & Launderers]] (1964)
** 931: former location of [[Noles Machine & Welding]] (1964)
* [[10th Street North]] intersects, onramp to [[I-65]] south
* [[10th Street North]] intersects, onramp to [[I-65]] south
** 1003: former location of [[Lebby Belting Co.]] (1964)
** 1005: former location of [[Refrigeration Service Co., Inc.]]
** 1005: former location of [[Refrigeration Service Co., Inc.]]
** 1023: former location of [[Beco Credit Union]] & [[Alabama Central Credit Union]] (1964)
** 1025: former location of [[Reeve Electric Co.]] (1964)
** 1027: former location of [[Alfonso's Shoe Repair]] (1964)
** 1029A: former location of [[Perry's Barber Shop]] (1964)
** 1029B: former location of [[Boggan Plumbing & Heating]] (1964)
** 1031: former location of [[Beco Cafe]] (1964)


===[[Fountain Heights]]===
===[[Fountain Heights]]===

Revision as of 23:01, 2 March 2015

3rd Avenue North, looking east from 18th Street in October 1972
3rd Avenue North, looking northeast from 21st Street, c. 1911

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 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.

Three stores on the north side of the 1800 block (Block 72), modernized in 1961, were damaged in a major fire on the evening of December 17, 1970.

The first section of 3rd Avenue North to be converted from two-way to one-way (eastbound) traffic was from 14th Street North to Red Mountain Expressway. The one-way section was expanded westward to 9th Street North in 1973 by the Alabama Department of Transportation's TOPICS (Traffic Operations Program to Increase Capacity and Safety) program.

Notable locations

For an alphabetical list of locations, see the 3rd Avenue North category.

Smithfield neighborhood

Fountain Heights

Central City

References

  • White, Marjorie Longenecker, ed. (1980) Downtown Birmingham: Architectural and Historical Walking Tour Guide, second edition. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society.
  • R.L. Polk & Co. (1919) "R.L. Polk & Co.'s Birmingham City Directory"

External links

3rd Avenue North on Google Maps

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