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.
Smithfield neighborhood
- 109: Birmingham Fire Station No. 21 (Elyton)
- 540: Birmingham Vending Company
- 631: Dixie Neon
- 717: Collins Automotive
- 818: Real Records
- 830: Metro Auto & Detail
- 900: former location of Tootie's Cabaret
- 901: former location of K. U. Jones veterinary infirmary
Fountain Heights neighborhood
- 1200: Innovation Depot
- 1300: ACME Building (Magic City Motor Scooters, Acme Gallery)
- Intersection of 14th Street North
- Intersection of 16th Street North
- 1600: former location of Papan's Royal Seafood/Royal Restaurant
- 1608: former location of Southern Leather Company, Lewis Kennedy studio, and J. Mark Gooch studio
- 1616: Brother Bryan Mission
- 1630: former location of Playpen toy store
- 1631: Thomas Jefferson Hotel/Cabana Hotel/Leer Tower
- 17th Street intersection
- North side (Block 88)
- 1700: Phoenix Building/Phoenix Lofts
- 1700: former café
- 1702: former location of Birmingham Leather Company
- 1704: former location of a cash register dealer
- 1706: former location of Lamar Insurance, entrance to the building and Phoenix Bowling Center
- 1710: Phoenix Building/Phoenix Lofts (1950 expansion), former location of Jefferson Theatre (later Erlanger Theatre)
- 1710: lofts entrance
- 1716: Jefferson Lofts
- 1722: former location of American Laundry
- former location of Pasquale's
- 1700: Phoenix Building/Phoenix Lofts
- South side (Block 97)
- 1701-1731: surface parking
- 1701: former location of dry cleaner and C. T. Walter's Auto Garage
- 1703: former location of Watt's Garage
- 1705: former auto parking garage
- 1707: former lunch counter and barber shop
- 1709-11: former parking garage, former location of Acme Canopy Company
- 1713: former location of Ritz Theatre
- 1721: former location of Johnson & Company Jewelry Store
- 1725: former location of beauty shop
- 1729: former location of Channell Florist
- 1731: former location of drug store
- North side (Block 88)
- 18th Street intersection
- 1800: former site of Herman Saks & Sons clothiers
- 1801: Loveman's parking deck, former site of United States Court House and Post Office
- 1802: former location of Rumore's Record Rack
- 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
- 1813: former location of Tennessee Distilling Company
- 1816: former location of the Birmingham Conservatory of Music
- 1818: former location of Cable-Shelby-Burton Piano Co.
- 1821: Platinum of Birmingham
- 1828: IMAX Dome Theater of the McWane Science Center, former site of Florence Hotel, Louis Saks Clothing Company, Melancon's and Newberry's
- original location of Louis Pizitz Dry Goods Company
Central City neighborhood
- Intersection of 19th Street North (former site of Hudgins' fountain)
- former site of the Klothes Shoppe
- former studios of WBRC-AM
- former location of Holiday's Fine Shoes
- North side (Block 86)
- 1900: former location of the Peerless Saloon
- 1910: former location of W. T. Grant Company
- 1910½: former location of Samuel Scott and Shepherd and Scott photography studios
- 1914: former location of Burt's Shoe Store
- 1916: former site of the Trianon Theater
- 1918½: former location of Cox Shoe Company, De Luxe Studios
- 1920: former location of F. W. Woolworth & Co.
- 1924: former location of the Caheen Building
- 1928: Roden Block, currently housing Hendon & Huckestein Architects. Former site of Liggett's drug store and soda fountain and Baker's Shoe Store
- North side (Block 86)
- South side (Block 99)
- 1901: former site of Hughes Drug Store
- 1903: former location of Morton's Photo Studio, OK Jewelry and Optical
- former site of the Vaudette Theater
- former site of the Newmar Theatre
- 1905: former site of Ealnor's Dress Shop, Cinderella Shoe Store
- 1907: former site of Kinney Shoes
- 1909: former site of Rosenberger's Birmingham Trunk
- 1911: former site of Alcazar Theater/Capitol Theater
- 1915: former site of Strand Theater
- 1917: former site of Jobe-Rose Jewelry Company
- 1919: former location of the Galax Theater
- 1923: former site of The Budget Shop
- 1925: Pete's Famous Hot Dogs, former location of Loventhal clothing store
- 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
- 2009–17: Berry Project
- 2009: former location of Kaufman Simpson Co., Lee Building
- 2013: Meelheim Building, Dobbs Gallery, former site of Sublett Hall and Martha Washington Lunch
- 2015: Berry Building, former Burger Dry Goods
- 2017: former site of Gunn's Drug Store
- 2010: Birmingham Parking Authority Deck 6
- 2012: former site of Warren Bros. Hardware Co.
- 2018: former location of Hoy-Ratterman Carpet Company, Hynds-Upshaw Paint & Glass Co.
- 2020: former location of The Fair, Gordon's Optical, Spielberg's Camera Shop and Shoe Center
- 2022: former location of Melba Theater
- 2024: former location of J.C. Marks Liquor Co.
- 2025: Butler's Executive Grooming Lounge
- 2027: former location of Terreson's photo printing and Dollar Shoe Box
- 2027 1/2: former location of Magic City Copying Co.
- 2028: Comer Building/City Federal Building
- 2029: former location of Sanitary Market
- 2031: former studio of A. C. Oxford
- Intersection of 21st Street North
- 2101: Florentine Building (Vulcan Loan & Discount), former site of the Jefferson County Bank Building
- 2105: former location of Tunkle's Grill
- 2113: former location of McGough Bakeries
- 2115-19: Zinszer's Peter, Mammoth Furniture House
- 2117: Offices of Arlington Properties
- 2135: former site of skating rink
- Intersection of 22nd Street North
- former location of Yielding Brothers
- 2201: Storkland Furniture
- 2205: Blair Furniture
- 2209-11: Counts Brothers building
- 2209: former location of Blair Furniture, Counts Brothers Sewing Machine Company
- 2211: former location of Maxwell-Crow Furniture Company
- 2210: Offices of Black & White, former office of Cohen Carnaggio Reynolds
- 2211: former location of Bragon Brothers furnace and tin shop
- 2223-25: former W. S. Brown mercantile building, former site of The Casino theater
- 2226: Athens Building/Athens Flatts
- Intersection of 23rd Street North
- 2301: Mamanoes Grocery Shop (formerly Service Seed and Plant Company and Gypsy Market)
- 2306: What's on 2nd (formerly Gallery 2306, Lamar's Gallery)
- 2308: former location of Shift Workspace
- 2309: Ben Erdreich townhouse
- 2318: Freunde Deutscher Sprache und Kultur
- 2320: 2nd Row (Urban Standard, Faith Skate Supply/A.Skate Foundation, Travel Scene, Jason Wallis Photography, Erdreich Architecture)
- 2329: Charm
- 2341: former site of AEC Recycling Center
- Intersection of 24th Street North
- 2400: former location of Star Super Market
- 2412-14: Gallery Lofts, former location of the Standard Casket Manufacturing Company offices and showroom)
- 2409: Space One Eleven
- 2411: Beta Pictoris Gallery
- 2428: former location of Old Stable Club
- 2431: former location of Jack Daniel Distributing Company
- Intersection of 25th Street North
- passes under Elton B. Stephens Expressway
- Intersection of Carraway Boulevard
- north side: Elton B. Stephens Expressway north off-ramp
- 2601: former location of Nuncie's Music
- 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