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.