20th Street North: Difference between revisions

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** 9: [[Taylor Building]], former headquarters for [[Superior Bank|Superior Mortgage Corporation]]
** 9: [[Taylor Building]], former headquarters for [[Superior Bank|Superior Mortgage Corporation]]


====[[Morris Avenue]] intersection====
====[[Morris Avenue]]====
* West side (Block ___)
* West side (Block ___)
** 8-14: former location of the [[Metropolitan Hotel]] and [[Gilbert Hotel]]
** 8-14: former location of the [[Metropolitan Hotel]] and [[Gilbert Hotel]]
Line 49: Line 49:
** 17: [[John A. Hand Building]], former headquarters for [[Superior Bank]] and [[Cadence Bank]]. Former location of [[Joe Wheeler Cafe]]
** 17: [[John A. Hand Building]], former headquarters for [[Superior Bank]] and [[Cadence Bank]]. Former location of [[Joe Wheeler Cafe]]


====[[1st Avenue North]] intersection====
====[[1st Avenue North]]====
:([[Heaviest Corner on Earth]])
:([[Heaviest Corner on Earth]])
* West side ([[Block 99]])
* West side ([[Block 99]])
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** [[123 20th Street North|123]]: [[Bromberg's building]] ([[Bromberg's]] offices), former location of the [[Drennen Department Store]] and [[Stein's Mens' Clothiers]]
** [[123 20th Street North|123]]: [[Bromberg's building]] ([[Bromberg's]] offices), former location of the [[Drennen Department Store]] and [[Stein's Mens' Clothiers]]


====[[2nd Avenue North]] intersection====
====[[2nd Avenue North]]====
* West side ([[Block 86]])
* West side ([[Block 86]])
** 200: [[Roden Block]] ([[Parisian]])
** 200: [[Roden Block]] ([[Parisian]])
Line 98: Line 98:
** 221: [[MedTown Pharmacy]], former location of [[Porter Clothing Co.]] and [[Shoney's Big Boy]]
** 221: [[MedTown Pharmacy]], former location of [[Porter Clothing Co.]] and [[Shoney's Big Boy]]


====[[3rd Avenue North]] intersection====
====[[3rd Avenue North]]====
* West side ([[Block 73]])
* West side ([[Block 73]])
** 300: [[Blach's building]] former location of [[Butler's Shoe Store]] and [[Wallock's]]
** 300: [[Blach's building]] former location of [[Butler's Shoe Store]] and [[Wallock's]]
Line 123: Line 123:
** 325: former location of [[Busch's]] jewelers, [[McDonald's]], [[Salsa and Sabor]], [[El Mexicano]], and [[Bayou Deli]]
** 325: former location of [[Busch's]] jewelers, [[McDonald's]], [[Salsa and Sabor]], [[El Mexicano]], and [[Bayou Deli]]


====[[4th Avenue North]] intersection====
====[[4th Avenue North]]====
* West side ([[Block 60]])
* West side ([[Block 60]])
** 400: [[Clark Building]], former location of [[Smith & Hardwick]] and [[Birmingham Press Club]]
** 400: [[Clark Building]], former location of [[Smith & Hardwick]] and [[Birmingham Press Club]]
Line 144: Line 144:
** 421: former location of [[Drum Room]]
** 421: former location of [[Drum Room]]


====[[5th Avenue North]] intersection====
====[[5th Avenue North]]====
* West side ([[Block 47]])
* West side ([[Block 47]])
** 500 [[Regions Center]] (formerly AmSouth-Sonat building), former location of [[Southern Club]] and [[Works Progress Administration]]. Former location of [[Occupy Birmingham]]'s "Camp Mayhem"
** 500 [[Regions Center]] (formerly AmSouth-Sonat building), former location of [[Southern Club]] and [[Works Progress Administration]]. Former location of [[Occupy Birmingham]]'s "Camp Mayhem"
Line 156: Line 156:
** 529: [[Cathedral Church of the Advent]]
** 529: [[Cathedral Church of the Advent]]


====[[6th Avenue North]] intersection====
====[[6th Avenue North]]====
* West side
* West side
** [[Birmingham Board of Education Parking Deck]]
** [[Birmingham Board of Education Parking Deck]]
Line 164: Line 164:
** [[Park Place Tower]]
** [[Park Place Tower]]


====[[Park Place]] intersection====
====[[Park Place]]====
:20th Street shifts west, becomes known as '''Nina's Way''' (formerly '''Short 20th Street''')
:20th Street shifts west, becomes known as '''Nina's Way''' (formerly '''Short 20th Street''')
* West side
* West side
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** [[Linn Park]]
** [[Linn Park]]


====[[8th Avenue North]] intersection====
====[[8th Avenue North]]====
:end of this section of 20th Street
:end of this section of 20th Street
** 831: former location of [[Alabama Supply Company]]
* {{I-20/59}}
* 831: former location of [[Alabama Supply Company]]


===[[North Birmingham neighborhood]]===
===[[North Birmingham neighborhood]]===
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==References==
==References==
* "[http://www.flickr.com/photos/dystopos/3718204335/ Whitson's Tenant Map of Birmingham]" (1930s)
* "[http://www.birminghamrewound.com/features/1970-08.htm New look for our big town]" (August 18, 1970) ''Birmingham News'' - via [[Birmingham Rewound]]
* "[http://www.birminghamrewound.com/features/1970-08.htm New look for our big town]" (August 18, 1970) ''Birmingham News'' - via [[Birmingham Rewound]]
* Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce (1976) ''Century Plus: A Bicentennial Portrait of Birmingham, Alabama 1976'' Birmingham: Oxmoor Press, p. 16.
* Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce (1976) ''Century Plus: A Bicentennial Portrait of Birmingham, Alabama 1976'' Birmingham: Oxmoor Press, p. 16.

Revision as of 11:15, 30 July 2013

looking south on 20th Street North in 2002
looking north on 20th Street North, c. 1910-11

20th Street North is a north-south street in the center of downtown Birmingham which functions as Birmingham's "main street". It is sometimes called Birmingham Green after a rehabilitation project of the early 1970s.

20th Street begins at the northern end of 20th Street South at the Railroad Reservation. From there it first crosses Morris Avenue, and then continues for seven blocks to Park Place where it is terminated by Linn Park.

Short 20th Street is the one-block section of 20th Street between Birmingham City Hall and Linn Park. It was named Nina's Way in honor of Nina Miglionico in 2008. Originally 20th street bounded both sides of the park as East 20th Street and West 20th Street, but the east segment was abandoned as part of a compromise over the placement of the original Birmingham Public Library building in the late 1920s.

After this one-block section, Twentieth Street previously resumed its path to the east between the current locations of Municipal Auditorium and the Birmingham Museum of Art to the present site of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. After the I-20/59 bridge was built, this section was closed to traffic and eventually converted into a landscaped walk and fountain. There are other short sections of the street in North Birmingham, north of Oak Hill Cemetery and near Finley Boulevard.

Birmingham Green

1970 rendering for Birmingham Green

The Birmingham Downtown Improvement Association (BDIA) singled out the beautification of 20th Street as one of its major ambitions when it was formed in 1957. The idea was highlighted in Operation New Birmingham's 1960 recommendations for a "Comprehensive Beautification Program" and reiterated in the 1965 "Design for Progress".

As part of the campaign, Mrs. C. I. Dreyfus of the Birmingham Beautification Board proposed renaming 20th Street to "Vulcan Boulevard". The idea was taken up by businessman Temple Tutwiler, who touted the proposal as late as 1973.

Meanwhile, Tutwiler joined with Reese Murray, Marshall Haynes and Joseph Farley on a volunteer committee to study specific ways to beautify the downtown area. One of their recommendations was to widen sidewalks and add planters and benches to downtown streets, beginning with the seven blocks of 20th Street North, making it more friendly and attractive to pedestrians. New signage, lighting and street furniture would be included in the design. The additional space would be taken from parking and bus lanes, with transit stops moved to 19th Street North.

View looking South on 20th Street in May 1972

In 1970, ONB published a "Birmingham Green Plan", according to which $500,000 pledged by business and property owners would be supplemented with equivalent city funds in order to qualify for $1 million in federal grant money. When completed, the $2 million project would also include 19th Street between 1st and 3rd Avenue North and 2nd and 3rd Avenue North between 18th and 21st Street.

Architect James Adams prepared preliminary designs, saying of the proposal "We are knitting the fabric of the central business district with high quality thread -- that thread being the visual impact of the street scene." Planners hoped to attract more people to spend time downtown shopping and strolling. ONB would organize special committees to preserve the budget and to approve the design of specific additions, such as newspaper boxes and telephone booths.

In January 1971, with only 11 of the 425 business and property owners who had agreed to support the project having contributed their pledges, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development released their grant funds. The 20th Street portion of the Birmingham Green project was dedicated on September 14, 1973 at a cost of $1.9 million. The city carried out additional work over the next two years. Meanwhile, building owners leveraged the public investment in streetscaping by making improvements to their properties. B. A. Monaghan began a major renovation of the Nabers, Morrow & Sinnige building at 109–111 20th Street North in 1973.

A two-year $1 million project to extend tree plantings into Southside was completed in 1994.

Notable Locations (south to north)

For an alphabetical list of locations, see the 20th Street North category.

Central City neighborhood

Railroad Reservation

Morris Avenue

1st Avenue North

(Heaviest Corner on Earth)

2nd Avenue North

3rd Avenue North

4th Avenue North

5th Avenue North

6th Avenue North

Park Place

20th Street shifts west, becomes known as Nina's Way (formerly Short 20th Street)

8th Avenue North

end of this section of 20th Street

North Birmingham neighborhood

References

External links

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