21st Street North

View up 21st Street North from Southside in August 2007

21st Street North is a north-south street running through downtown Birmingham. The street begins as part of Richard Arrington, Jr Boulevard, picking up at the middle of the Rainbow Viaduct over the Railroad Reservation. From there it continues north to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, where it bends onto 10th Avenue North, onto which Richard Arrington, Jr Boulevard continues.

21st Street North proper picks up again north of the BJCC, continuing through Druid Hills on a route that jogs to the east and west at several intersections before ending at 15th Avenue North. Another section picks up on the other side of F. L. Shuttlesworth Drive and bends to the southwest under I-65 to 18th Street North. Yet another section picks up again east of I-65 near Finley Boulevard and continues to just beyond 26th Avenue North, where it bends onto 26th Court North. It picks up again at 29th Avenue North and continues through a residential section of North Birmingham to the campus of Carver High School.

Notable locations

For an alphabetical list of locations, see the 21st Street North category.

• Railroad Reservation/Rainbow Viaduct (over Morris Avenue)
  • Steiner Building (former site of William Nabors residence)
  • Protective Life building (former site of Birmingham Ledger building)
• Intersection with 1st Avenue North
  • former site of Central Block building
  • New City Church
  • Landmark Building (former site of Birmingham Light and Power Building)
  • 112: John's City Diner
  • 115 1/2: former office of Sutcliffe, Armstrong & Willett Architects
  • Florentine Building
    • 117 1/2: former location of Club 21
  • Jefferson County Bank Building
• Intersection with 2nd Avenue North
  • City Federal Building
  • 210 1/2: former location of Lippe Dance Studio
  • 209-211: former location of Lunsford Hotel/Milner Hotel
  • 211: vacant lot, former location of Dr Scholl's Foot Comfort Shop
  • 214: former location of Dr Gus Coffee House
  • Jackson Building/Jemison Building
  • Massey Building
• Intersection with 3rd Avenue North
  • One Concord Center
  • Title Building, O'Carr's (former location of Safari Cup)
  • Downtown YMCA
• Intersection with 4th Avenue North
  • Birmingham Parking Authority Deck 3
  • 3rd Presbyterian Church
  • 409: Pathways Women's Center/Safe Haven shelter
  • 416: former location of Birmingham View Company and Knox Portrait Studio
  • Redmont Hotel, former location of First Christian Church
• Intersection with 5th Avenue North
  • Birmingham Parking Authority Lot B
  • D. O. Whilldin office building
  • Colonial Center
  • Advent Day School/Cathedral Church of the Advent
• Intersection with 6th Avenue North
  • Energen Plaza (former site of Essex House/Daniel-Branscomb Tower (with the Downtown Club, Dale's Cellar)
  • Tutwiler Hotel (1986) (former Ridgely Apartments)
• Intersection with Park Place
  • Linn-Henley Research Library
  • Birmingham Central Library
• Intersection with 7th Avenue North
  • Jefferson County Courthouse
  • former location of First Christian Church and Education Building
• Intersection with 8th Avenue North
  • Birmingham Museum of Art
  • Mel Bailey Criminal Justice Center
• continues under I-20/59
  • Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex
  • Sheraton Birmingham
• Intersection with 11th Avenue North
  • Social Security Building (1974)