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.