National Historic Landmark · organization · Birmingham, Alabama

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church

Historic church in Alabama. Built 1911 by Wallace Rayfield. Added to the National Register in 1980, and a National Historic Landmark.

16th st Baptist Church16th Street Baptist Church 188416th Street Baptist Church from Kelly Ingram Park Nov 201116th Street Baptist Church Nov 2011 01
Photos via Wikimedia Commons · 6 in the Commons category

What it is

The 16th Street Baptist Church is a Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama, United States.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The record

Property typeBuilding
Address1530 6th Ave. North at 16th St., Birmingham, AL
CountyJefferson County
ListedSep 17, 1980
Listed forBlack heritage, Architecture, Social history
Level of significanceNational
Reference number80000696
Built1911 · more from the 1910s
ArchitectWallace Rayfield
Type of placeProtestant church building, organization
StyleByzantine Revival architecture
DesignationsNational Historic Landmark, listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
Contributing resources1 building
StandingYes

The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗

Visiting

Address1530 6th Ave. North at 16th St., Birmingham, AL
Website16thstreetbaptist.org ↗
Coordinates33.5167° N, 86.8149° W · Directions ↗
Also in Birmingham160 listed places in Birmingham →
Nearest national park unitBirmingham Civil Rights National Monument · under a mile · on Park Atlas
Federal campgrounds nearbyBurchfield Branch Park 33 miles · Rocky Branch Day Use Park 38 miles · Deerlick Creek 40 miles
This one you can go inside. Hours and admission change with the season; the website above has the current schedule.

Explore

Drawings & photographs

Measured drawings and photographs from the Library of Congress. Public domain. All 1 record ↗

Map

Local history books for Birmingham

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Guidebooks to historic places and travel in Alabama

  • Iron & steel
    James R Bennett, 2010
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Exploring Wild Alabama
    Kenneth M. Wills and Dr. L. J. Davenport, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Haunted Talladega County
    Kim Johnston and Shane Busby, 2015
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

When was Sixteenth Street Baptist Church listed on the National Register?

Sep 17, 1980. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.

Source: National Park Service

When was Sixteenth Street Baptist Church built?

1911, designed by Wallace Rayfield, in the Byzantine Revival architecture style.

Source: Wikidata

Can I visit Sixteenth Street Baptist Church?

Yes. Sixteenth Street Baptist Church is recorded as open to the public, and hours are on the official website.

Source: Official website

Where is Sixteenth Street Baptist Church?

1530 6th Ave. North at 16th St., Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama. The nearest national park unit is Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, under a mile away.

Source: Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument

Are there historic photographs or drawings of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church?

Yes. The Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress has drawings or photographs of it.

Source: Library of Congress

Where is the nomination form for Sixteenth Street Baptist Church?

The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.

Source: National Archives

Are there campgrounds near Sixteenth Street Baptist Church?

Three federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Burchfield Branch Park, 33 miles away. Rocky Branch Day Use Park is 38 miles away, and Deerlick Creek is 40 miles away.

Source: Campsite Atlas

Is there cell service at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church?

FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

Sources

Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 80000696. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA. Drawings and photographs are Historic American Buildings Survey records at the Library of Congress, public domain.