4th Avenue North
Fourth Avenue North is an east-west street running through downtown Birmingham. It runs from Center Street in the west to 24th Street North in the east. From 9th to 24th Streets, the three- to four-lane street is one way westbound.
The road appears again as a two-lane residential street between Interstate 59 and Wahouma Park, west of 72nd Street. It is interrupted by the interstate between 75th and 77th Streets, but then continues from 77th to 88th Place, running between Lynn Park and East Lake Park.
Fourth Avenue runs through a few historic districts, including its own 4th Avenue Historic District (from 16th to 19th Street), the Civil Rights District, and the Loft District. In addition, the buildings at 1914, 1917, 1919, and 1930 are part of the Downtown Birmingham Retail and Theatre Historic District.
History
Fourth Avenue originally extended east to 26th Street North, but when the Birmingham Post Office was constructed in the early 1970s, it occupied the space where the street had run.
4th Avenue North was converted from two-way to one-way (westbound) traffic was from 24th Street North 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 4th Avenue North category.
Smithfield neighborhood
- Center Street intersection
- 416: R C Body Shop
- 9th Street North intersection
- 10th Street North intersection
- Interstate 65 overpass
Fountain Heights
- Interstate 65 overpass
- 11th Street North intersection
- 1100: Mike's Downtown Shell
- 1101: Texaco containing a Sneaky Pete's
- 12th Street North intersection
- 1200: America's First Federal Credit Union headquarters
- 13th Street North intersection
- 14th Street North intersection
- 1421: formerly Glare offices
- 15th Street North intersection
- former site of Brown Belle Bottling Company
- 16th Street North intersection
- 1630: Colored Masonic Temple
- 1631: Carver Theatre (Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame)
- 17th Street North intersection
- 1701: New Deal Barber Shop
- 1703-B: Miles Lounge
- 1705: Green Acres Cafe
- 1720: formerly Frolic Theatre
- 1721: Famous Theater
- Eddie Kendrick Memorial Park (former site of Brock's Drugs building)
- 18th Street North intersection
- 1809: former location of Mewbourne & Spain undertakers & embalmers
- 1810: former site of Shnipper's clothing
- 1812: former site of a Piggly Wiggly
- 1820-22: (inside One Federal Place) Continental Bakery, formerly Mix & Restaurant G) former site of the Fox Building (Catanzano's Thrift Food Shop/Catanzano Bros. market)
- 1821: former site of Hillman Hotel
- 19th Street North intersection
Central City
- 19th Street North intersection
- North side
- 1914: Forbes Building
- 1920: formerly Horton & Biddle Cycle Company and Wuxtry
- 1924: formerly Cane Break Supper Club and Grundy's Music Room
- 1930: Clark Building
- South side (Block 73)
- 1901: surface parking. former site of Market House, first and second Birmingham City Halls
- 1915: Gus's Hot Dogs, mural by Patricia Martin on east side of building
- 1917: parking lot, former location of Oliver Chalifoux's music store
- 1927: parking lot, former location of Tom's Steak House
- 1930: parking lot, former location of Linville/Southern Hotel, Norton's Drug Store, Lane's Drug Store and Hardy Shoe Store
- North side
- 20th Street North intersection
- 2000: Birmingham Parking Authority Deck 3
- 2011: Regions Investment Company building
- 2013: Hood-McPherson building
- 2019: Harbert Center
- 2021: former location of Birmingham Paint & Glass Co.
- 21st Street North intersection
- 2100: First Presbyterian Church
- 2101: Downtown YMCA
- 2128: Birmingham Parking Authority Deck 4
- 22nd Street North intersection
- 2200: former site of Birmingham News building (1917)
- 2201: Birmingham News building (2006), former site of Holy Angels Academy
- 2223: formerly Steppers & Walkers, Ruby House, and Charcoal Steak House
- 23rd Street North intersection
- 2300: Stonewall Building
- 2301: YWCA Building parking lot (former site of Stand N' Snack)
- 2321: Fife's Restaurant
- 24th Street North intersection (street ends)
- 2519: formerly Home Baking Company