Birmingham Churches and Their Cornerstones 79

Many congregations moved from Birmingham’s Southside in the 1960s as the University of Alabama (UAB) and its medical area expanded. In fact, the only one that remains in the rectangle defined by the expressways, the train tracks, and 10th Avenue South is Holy Trinity Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral. (The building of Second Presbyterian Church also remains, but it is used for secular purposes by UAB.) One of the first to relocate in the 1960s was Payne Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

It is a fine example of Mid-Century Modernism designed by Stanley B. Echols, a White architect who designed several buildings for A. G. Gaston, Birmingham’s wealthiest Black businessman and a an active member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Read this first post for more on this series on Birmingham churches and their cornerstones.

Map of Posts in this Project

Each site in this project is mapped below. Clicking on an icon will bring up a box with a link to the post on the site. Please use it to browse the collection.

The color and shape of the location markers indicate the character of the cornerstones at each site. Stones like this, with multiple names, are red. If there is more than one stone at the site a shape is used. Click here for full information on the icons.