Fourth Avenue
Business District
During the first half of the 20th century, the 4th Avenue Historic District was the vibrant center of the Black community in Birmingham. Under Jim Crow laws, Black residents were prohibited from patronizing white establishments, so they opened their own. The District held Black-owned banks and insurance companies, lawyers’ and doctors’ offices. Its centerpiece was the Masonic Temple, which contained a library, a soda fountain, and a ballroom that featured performances by Duke Ellington and Count Basie, among others.
The District is the last remaining remnant of the Jim Crow years in Birmingham, which lasted from 1908 to 1941.
Today, the District is home to a variety of small businesses, many of them Black-owned; non-profit organizations; and historical sites, including the Carver Theatre and the Masonic Temple.
