20th Street underpass

Ornamental design on 20th Street railroad underpass.

The 20th Street underpass is a surface connection between 20th Street North and 20th Street South running below the Railroad Reservation in downtown Birmingham.

In 1890 a group of citizens petitioned for the city to build a pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks at 20th Street South, estimating that the cost would not exceed $5,000. That project was not approved.

The underpass, with headwalls designed in an art deco style by architect David O. Whillden, was constructed in 1931 of reinforced concrete. The year is displayed in an engraved panel flanked by gold-painted eagles in raised relief and surmounted by a floral cartouche.

References

• "Birmingham's first 'viaduct' erected 65 years ago" (August 31, 1950) The Birmingham News, p. 20