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.




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 type | Building |
| Address | 1530 6th Ave. North at 16th St., Birmingham, AL |
| County | Jefferson County |
| Listed | Sep 17, 1980 |
| Listed for | Black heritage, Architecture, Social history |
| Level of significance | National |
| Reference number | 80000696 |
| Built | 1911 · more from the 1910s |
| Architect | Wallace Rayfield |
| Type of place | Protestant church building, organization |
| Style | Byzantine Revival architecture |
| Designations | National Historic Landmark, listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage |
| Contributing resources | 1 building |
| Standing | Yes |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | 1530 6th Ave. North at 16th St., Birmingham, AL |
| Website | 16thstreetbaptist.org ↗ |
| Coordinates | 33.5167° N, 86.8149° W · Directions ↗ |
| Also in Birmingham | 160 listed places in Birmingham → |
| Nearest national park unit | Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument · under a mile · on Park Atlas |
| Federal campgrounds nearby | Burchfield Branch Park 33 miles · Rocky Branch Day Use Park 38 miles · Deerlick Creek 40 miles |
Explore
Drawings & photographs
Measured drawings and photographs from the Library of Congress. Public domain. All 1 record ↗
Map
Nearby in Jefferson County
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
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.
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.
