Rotary Trail Park, Linear park and public art installation in downtown Birmingham, United States.
Rotary Trail Park is a linear park and public art installation stretching roughly half a mile through downtown Birmingham. It connects multiple neighborhoods and features sculptures, painted walls, and walking and cycling paths designed for everyday use.
The Rotary Club pledged $2.5 million for a public project marking its 2013 centennial, and the result opened on April 6, 2016, when the trail and its sign were dedicated. The City of Birmingham added $2 million from a 2012 federal TIGER grant for drainage, streetscape and infrastructure work. The route reuses a former railroad cut running from 20th to 24th Street along First Avenue South.
Local artists created the sculptures and murals you see here, showing how the community expresses itself through art. As you walk, you notice how these pieces shape the character of the entire space.
The trail runs along First Avenue South from 20th Street to 24th Street, linking the 19-acre Railroad Park with Sloss Furnaces. Its flat, paved surface suits walking and cycling, and the 46-foot Magic City sign marks the western entrance as a starting point.
The 46-foot sign at the western entrance, reading "Rotary Trail in the Magic City", was donated by BL Harbert International, with raw materials from O'Neal Steel. It echoes an earlier "Birmingham the Magic City" sign. At the eastern end, a sculpture titled "Frank's Table" was dedicated in November 2019.
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