2nd Avenue North
2nd Avenue North (or Second Avenue North, formerly just 2nd Avenue) is an east-west street running through downtown Birmingham. The street is so named from Center Street in the west (where it becomes Tuscaloosa Avenue), continuously through downtown, to 29th Street North, after which it dead ends.
Sections of 2nd Avenue North reappear between 32nd and 35th Streets, between 47th and 52nd Streets, between 53rd and 54th Streets, and again east of Trotwood Park between 71st and 78th Streets. A short stub of 2nd Avenue North runs toward East Lake Park from 80th Street near I-59, then resumes between 85th and 86th Streets near Roebuck.
The area surrounding 2nd and 3rd Avenue North near the Alabama and Lyric Theatres is considered the heart of Birmingham's Theater District. The section between 22nd and 25th Streets is part of the City Center Loft District, utilized for the annual ArtWalk festival.
The area north of 2nd Avenue between 11th and 14th Streets was once known as Baconsides, and was particularly hard hit by the 1873 cholera epidemic. 2nd Avenue North is the setting for the fictional "Olympia Gym" in the novel and film, Stay Hungry.
The section of 2nd Avenue between 20th and 24th Street is part of the Downtown Birmingham Historic District. Until the mid-1980s, Red Mountain Expressway terminated at the 2nd Avenue North offramp.
MAX Transit Route 1 and MAX Transit Route 3 take 2nd Avenue westward to Elyton.
Notable locations
For an alphabetical list of locations, see the 2nd Avenue North category.
- 109: Birmingham Fire Station No. 21 (Elyton)
- 717: Collins Automotive
- 818: Real Records
- 830: Metro Auto & Detail
- 1200: Innovation Depot
- Intersection of 16th Street North
- Intersection of 17th Street North
- 1710: Phoenix Building/Phoenix Lofts
- 1706: former location of Phoenix Bowling Center
- 1722: former location of American Laundry
- Intersection of 18th Street North
- 1805: former location of Excelisor Laundry (sic)
- former location of the New Ideal Department Store
- 1808-10: former location of Ullman Hardware Company
- 1809: former location of the Climax Bar
- 1816: former location of the Birmingham Conservatory of Music
- 1828: former site of Florence Hotel/Louis Saks Clothing Company
- Intersection of 19th Street North (former site of Hudgins' fountain)
- former studios of WBRC-AM
- original location of Louis Pizitz Dry Goods Company
- 1900: former location of the Peerless Saloon
- 1901: former site of Hughes Drug Store
- former location of Morton's Photo Studio
- former site of the Alcazar Theater/Capitol Theater
- former site of the Trianon Theater
- former site of the Vaudette Theater
- 1919: former location of the Galax Theater
- 1925: Pete's Famous Hot Dogs
- 1924: former location of the Caheen Building
- 1925: former location of Loventhal clothing store
- 1928: Roden Block, currently housing Hendon & Huckestein Architects
- 1931: Webb Building, former location of the Dude Saloon
- Intersection of 20th Street North
- former site of Odeon Two Theater
- 2000: former location of A. & A. Ash Jewelers
- 2001: Bromberg's (former site of Drennen Department Store)
- 2003-2005: former location of D. C. Redington's Photographic Studios
- 2008: Garett Building/Singer Building
- 2010: Birmingham Parking Authority Deck 6
- 2013: former location of Sublett Hall
- 2024: former location of J.C. Marks Liquor Co.
- 2027: former location of Terreson's Kodak Shop
- 2028: Comer Building/City Federal Building
- 2031: former studio of A. C. Oxford
- Intersection of 21st Street North
- former location of Jefferson Block
- 2101: Florentine Building (Vulcan Loan & Discount)
- 2115-19: Zinszer's Peter, Mammoth Furniture House
- Intersection of 22nd Street North
- 2210: Offices of Black & White, former office of Cohen Carnaggio Reynolds
- 2211: former location of Bragon Brothers furnace and tin shop
- 2226: Athens Building/Athens Flatts
- Intersection of 23rd Street North
- 2306: What's on 2nd (formerly Gallery 2306, Lamar's Gallery)
- 2318: Freunde Deutscher Sprache und Kultur
- 2320: 2nd Row (offices of Erdreich Architecture)
- 2341: former site of AEC Recycling Center
- Intersection of 24th Street North
- 2409: Space One Eleven
- 2431: former location of Jack Daniel Distilling Company
- East of downtown
- 3420: Thomas School/Jimmie Hale Mission
- 7721: former location of John Ray's Supper Club
- Address unknown: R. H. Roberts' Hardware, former location of Birmingham Art Association