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.