Pizitz Building
SW corner 2nd Ave & 19th St N. Before you leave the intersection, look south to see another former department
store, Pizitz (1923, 1926), which now is apartment housing.
Old U. S. Post Offi ce/now Robert S. Vance Federal Building & U. S. Courthouse
1800 5th Ave N. Walk two blocks north on 19th Street to
the Old U. S. Post Offi ce (now
the Robert S. Vance Federal Bldg & U.S. Courthouse; 1921). This
dignifi ed government building of white marble, with its monumental
row of Ionic columns, occupies the entire block along 5th Ave
between 18th and 19th Streets. In 1990, the building was dedicated
to Federal Judge Robert S. Vance, who was assassinated in 1989.
Old Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Birmingham Branch
1801 5th Ave N. An example of 20th-century classicism with Art Deco
infl uences, the former Birmingham
Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank
of Atlanta (1926) is awaiting adaptation
to a new use. The building was designed
by the same architects as the Alabama
Power Company building, the next
stop on the tour.
FOUR SPIRITS STATUE, KELLY INGRAM PARK
DOWNTOWN WEST
Alabama Theatre
1817 3rd Ave N. Mid-block on the opposite side of
the avenue is the Alabama
Theatre (1927), a magnifi cent
movie palace that today hosts
a variety of movies, concerts,
dance recitals, and special
events. If you are able, visit
the lavish interior to see its
ornate decoration and grand spaces, and, if you are lucky, hear
someone playing its Mighty Wurlitzer organ. On the sidewalk in
front is a historic marker and a walkway of stars with names of
famous Alabamians connected to movies, television, and
the theater.
3rd & 19th Retail Intersection
3rd Ave & 19th St N. At the end of the block, at the
intersection of 3rd Ave and
19th St, is the retail corner
that was once the heart of
downtown shopping. Three
structures built during the Great Depression make this one of the
city s most memorable expressions of urban design (others being
the Heaviest Corner and Five Points Circle). To best appreciate
the sensitive way the buildings compliment and relate to each
other s streamlined forms, stand on the corner with your back
to the parking lot. Look at how the three buildings talk to one
another, how their corners are canted or curved to acknowledge
one another. They re all different, but their scale, orientation,
materials, and coloration are compatible, knitting them together to
create a unifi ed backdrop for life on the street. McWane Science
Center SW corner (originally Loveman s Department Store; 1935) is today full of hands-on, science-learning experiences for children
of all ages. The Kress Building NE corner (1939) was renovated by the law fi rm that now occupies it. Meanwhile, the Woolworth
Building SE corner (1939) awaits renovation.