Birmingham, Alabama: Heaviest Corner on Earth
A sidewalk display officially marks a downtown Birmingham intersection as the heaviest in the world. Or at least the only one to make that claim.
- Address:
- 1927 1st Ave. N., Birmingham, AL
- Directions:
- Downtown. The plaque is on the west side of 20th St. N., just north of its intersection with US Hwy 11/1st Ave. N. It's tilted to face into the sidewalk, not visible from street.
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Locals claim this spot was also named the heaviest corner because it was originally the site of four banks, and the weight of the gold bars plus the buildings themselves contributed to the moniker.
[Stephanie Stuckey, 09/27/2021]
While in Birmingham today I stood at the spot marking The Heaviest Corner on Earth. I tried to imagine the amazement that people must felt when these towers were built in the early 1900s.
[Buffett2010, 04/11/2019]
The plaque was visible Feb. 5, 2017. It is located in a flower bed on the west side of 20th St, on north side of 1st Ave, facing toward the building. Very hard to find and not visible from the road.
[Johnny Morgan, 02/07/2017]April 2019: Photo added.
A downtown intersection at one time had the four tallest buildings in the South (The buildings are now on the National Register of Historic Places). A plaque commemorating the "Heaviest Corner on Earth" (in 1912) was added in 1985.
[sfrancia, 02/24/2015]The "Heaviest Corner" claim dates to the completion of the last of the four skyscrapers in 1912. Old postcards popularized the bulky crossroads.
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The corner, formerly marked with an old bronze plaque, has had its claim-to-fame upgraded into a more visible photo-op.