The South Side Slopes are a vertiginous neighborhood of narrow streets crowded with little frame houses. Traditionally the neighborhood was mostly German Catholic, whereas the flats below were mostly East European. Above, we see the Slopes from the intersection of Sidney Street and 27th; below, a view from 24th Street that includes the back of the old St. Josaphat’s church.
This row of attractive houses is on the west side of 24th Street at the corner of Sidney. Note the arched windows: Richardsonian Romanesque was popular, and filtered down even to this level of domestic architecture.
Camera: Samsung Digimax V4
A particularly fine cluster of Victorian rowhouses on Sidney Street, South Side, near the intersection with 23rd Street.
Like many other churches on the South Side, this one is becoming loft apartments. The exterior, at any rate, will be preserved.
Camera: Canon PowerShot 590 IS.
Addendum: The architect was Marius Rousseau, according to the parish’s Golden Jubilee book.
When the New Urbanist SouthSide Works development was built, the Town Square here on Sidney Street was clearly meant to be its retail heart. But it also lined a previously empty stretch of Carson Street with new storefronts in architecture cleverly echoing, without imitating, the Victorian shops of the old South Side. In effect, it extended the prosperous Carson Street business district a few more blocks. The result has been that the Carson Street side prospers, while the Town Square has had some trouble filling vacant storefronts. Nevertheless, the prosperity of Carson Street, as it continues to grow, should leach into the Town Square.
Camera: Canon PowerShot A540.
A well-proportioned building little changed since it was put up. You may notice, by the way, that older storefronts always have inset doors. Why is that? you ask. Somehow we have forgotten the reason for this obvious precaution, but our ancestors had much more practical minds than we have. For fire safety, doors should open outward. If they are flush with the sidewalk, however, they can open outward right into the face of a passing pedestrian and break his nose.
Another branch library by Andrew Carnegie’s favorite architectural firm, Alden & Harlow, who also gave us (as Longfellow, Alden & Harlow) the main Carnegie Institute building in Oakland.
Solof’s was a furniture dealer, and there is nothing particularly impressive about this building except that the exterior has hardly changed at all since the building was new. It gives us a very good picture of the commercial South Side of the early twentieth century.
Addendum: The architect was W. A. Thomas; the building was constructed in about 1917.
Camera: Canon PowerShot A590 (hacked). The picture below is a fairly large composite.
Like almost every other school on the South Side, this one has been turned into apartments.
Update: For the history of the church, see “The Mystery of the Converted Church on the South Side.”
Father Pitt knows nothing of the history of this building at 23rd Street and Larkins Way other than what is written in the bricks. It appears to be an old church, probably dating from the earliest development of East Birmingham, that was later converted into four tiny houses facing Larkins Way. To judge by the style, the conversion is not recent. And that is about as much as Father Pitt can read in the bricks, so any more information or corrections would be much appreciated.
