16th Street Baptist Church

The 16^th Street Baptist Church was established in 1873 and was the first Black church in Birmingham. The congregation initially began worshipping on the corner of 12^th Street North and 4^th Avenue, then moved to 3^rd Avenue North between 19^th and 20^th Streets, and in 1880 the congregation finally moved to its current location at 16^th Street and 6^th Avenue North. After the initial building was ordered to be torn down by the City of Birmingham, the church partnered with Wallace Rayfield – the only Black architect in the state of Alabama – as well as T.C. Windham – a black contractor from Birmingham – to build a new church which was complete in 1911 and is still standing to this day. The church came to be known as “everybody’s church” as it was utilized as a meeting and event space for many during the era of segregation. The congregation served as a safe space for black men, women, and children in the city of Birmingham as they worked to fight against the civil unrest they were faced with. In May 1963, the church found itself in the middle of marches and demonstrations taking place on Sixteenth Street which ultimately resulted in police brutality and the arrests of prominent leaders such as Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. On Sunday, September 15, 1963 the church became universally known as it found itself in the middle of a bomb explosion which resulted in the death of four young girls attending Sunday School and injuring over 20 members of the congregation. Although the marches that took place during this time helped change the narrative against public segregation in Birmingham, the everlasting effects of the fatalities it brought about will never be forgotten.

First United Methodist Church

Previously known as the First Methodist Episcopal Church South, this congregation began meeting in the Bryant House storefront on 1^st Ave and 21^st St. N in January 1872. That same summer the Elyton Land Company offered them a lot of land in exchange for $5 and the congregation was able to build a small church. By 1883, the original frame was exchanged with a larger building which stood until 1891 when the structure that still stands today was constructed by George Kramer. Since then, the church has undergone multiple expansions including major renovations in both 1972 and 2014 which helped land the church a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

Cathedral Church of the Advent

The new city of Birmingham began rapidly growing in 1872 after the Elyton Land Company took over a lot of previously underdeveloped land and established a new industrial center. Philip Fitts was sent out by Bishop Richard Hooker Wilmer to serve congregations in the new city; Fitts found 16 Episcopalians in the city of Birmingham and they began meeting at a corner lot sold to the young group for a whopping $5. The church’s worship space known as the “Nave” was complete by 1893 and worshippers were welcomed in. Since then, the church has added programs and undergone renovations to continue improving the space as well as the congregation.