Florentine Building
2101 2nd Ave N. On the SE corner, the Florentine Building (1927) exemplifi es 1920s exuberance, with its rich use of terra
cotta and marble and abundant classical Renaissance references.
On the second fl oor is a grand ballroom now available for
special events.
Denechaud Building
2107 2nd Ave N. Walk along the north side of 2nd Ave to get the best view of the Victorian buildings in this block. Next to the
Florentine Building stands the Denechaud Building (ca. 1887),
built as a European-style restaurant and hotel.
Zinszer Building
2117 2nd Ave N. The magnifi cent cast-iron-front
Zinszer Building (1889),
originally Peter Zinszer s
Mammoth Furniture House,
had rooms to rent above the
ground fl oor. It is a great example of how cast iron can be formed
in molds to create classical columns and ornamentation.
2121 2nd Ave N.
2121 2nd Ave N. Next door, an elaborate pressed metal cornice crowns the brick and stone striped façade of 2121 2nd Ave N
(1889), which, like several other buildings of the same age
nearby, originally had retail uses on the ground fl oor and rooms
for boarders on the upper fl oors.
LOWER DOWNTOWN
Old Protective Life Building
2027 1st Ave N. The old Protective Life Building (1928), on the SW corner of the intersection, is an Art Deco skyscraper
with Gothic infl uences designed by the talented fi rm Warren
Knight and Davis.
Phenix Insurance Co. Building and Dewberry Drugs Building
118 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd N and SW corner Richard Arrington Jr Blvd & 2nd Ave N. Near the next
intersection, one block north, read the historic marker about two
of the oldest buildings downtown, Dewberry Drugs (ca. 1880)
and Phenix Insurance Co. (ca. 1884).
City Federal Building
2024 2nd Ave N. Across the street, on the NW corner,
stands the City Federal
Building (1913), the last
and most monumental of
the city s early skyscrapers.
At 25 stories, it claimed
the title of tallest in the
South for decades and held
Birmingham s record
until 1969.