HEART OF FIVE POINTS SOUTH
The Storyteller Fountain
Eastern side of the circle. In front of the church is The
Storyteller Fountain (1991),
the work of acclaimed Alabama
artist and long-time Birmingham
resident Frank Fleming.
Highlands United Methodist Church
Eastern side of the circle, behind the fountain. Highlands United Methodist Church
(1909; bell tower 1921)
provides the circle s dominant
focus. The architect of Birmingham s grand Terminal Station (1907;
demolished 1969) designed the church shortly after Terminal
Station s completion. (He designed Atlanta s Fox Theatre some
two decades later).
Spanish Stores
SE corner of 20th St & 11th Ave S. To the right of the church echoing its red tile roof and stucco walls are the Spanish Stores
(1926, 1930). The way the building sits on its site helps defi ne
the circle as a plaza.
Munger Building
SW corner of 20th St & 11th Ave S. Across 20th Street the Munger Building (ca. 1929) also refl ects the curves of the circle in
the way its façade bends away in reverse. Notice the use of such
popular Art Deco motifs as sunfl owers, chevrons, and plant forms,
some of which recur on other nearby buildings.
Five Points Circle
Intersection of 11th Ave, Magnolia Ave & 20th St S. The buildings around the Five Points Circle create a sense of place
resembling a sophisticated European plaza. By encircling the land
where fi ve streets converge, the buildings bending and curving
facades relate to the center (once a traffi c circle) and to one
another. Similarities in form and materials add to the visual unity.
Studio Arts Building
NW corner of 11th Ave & 20th St S. The Studio Arts Building is a 1994 interpretation of the 1910 building that it replaced after
the latter suffered severe fi re damage. The original building s
curving façade responded to its circular setting and established
a precedent for future buildings.
Hotel Highland
1023 20th St S. Looking north down 20th Street
you see the Hotel Highland
(1931; originally the Medical
Arts Building, which housed
offi ces of physicians,
surgeons, and pharmacists). The chevron patterns in the
ground-fl oor terra cotta and the aluminum spandrels beneath
the windows are clues to its Art Deco identity.
Ware Building
NE corner of 20th St & Magnolia Ave S. The Ware Building (1930) features materials and mid-to-late-1920s Art Deco
motifs similar to those of other buildings on and near the circle.