Robert S. Vance Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Federal courthouse in Birmingham, United States.

The Robert S. Vance Federal Building and United States Courthouse is a four-story white marble structure in the Classical Revival style, occupying a full block of 5th Avenue North between 18th and 19th Streets. Its south facade has a fourteen-bay colonnade of free-standing Ionic columns, flanked by projecting entrance pavilions with granite steps and original bronze light standards. The wings extend rearward to form a U-shape, and a two-story addition from the later 1920s appears as a recessed third level behind a marble balustrade.

The building was constructed in 1921 and initially housed both the federal post office and courthouse operations for northern Alabama. It later became a courthouse facility serving the federal judicial district as the postal function relocated.

The building's name honors Robert Smith Vance, a federal appeals judge killed by a mail bomb at his home in 1989; Congress renamed the structure for him in 1990. Visitors can also note the original cast bronze light standards flanking the granite entry steps, fixtures that date from the 1921 construction.

The building occupies a full block of 5th Avenue North between 18th and 19th Streets, in Birmingham's central business district. The main entrance is on the south side, reached by a broad flight of granite steps flanked by marble walls and original cast bronze light standards. The former loading dock on the north elevation has been filled in and now serves as parking and a secured entry.

The building was renamed in 1990 to honor federal judge Robert Smith Vance, who was killed in a mail bomb attack. This naming reflects a tragic yet important moment that directly affected the federal judicial community in Alabama.