Tuxedo Junction
Tuxedo Junction, located in Ensley at the crossing of the Wylam and Pratt City streetcar lines, and also at Ensley Avenue and 20th Street, was a social hub for Birmingham's black community in the 1920s and 30s.
The area, known for its juke joints, dance halls and jam sessions, was immortalized by Alabama jazz great Erskine Hawkins in his classic song, "Tuxedo Junction," recorded by many other artists, from Glenn Miller in 1940 to the Manhattan Transfer (1975):
- Way down south in Birmingham
- I mean south in Alabam'
- There's a place where people go
- To dance the night away.
The Belcher-Nixon building at the junction is the only surviving commercial structure marking the formerly busy intersection. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in August 2009. Community leaders are working with Main Street Birmingham on plans to develop a cultural center in the building.
Since 1985 the annual Function in the Junction festival has celebrated the musical and social heritage of Tuxedo Junction.
References
- Rohar, Donald E. (Spring 2005) "Tuxedo Junction: 'Where the Town Folks Meet'." Alabama Heritage
- Ruisi, Anne (October 5, 2009) "Hope anew for Ensley revival." Birmingham News