Some streets just have a story. Diaper Row is one of them — and it happens to be the street where my whole design business began.
Tucked into Red Mountain along 21st Avenue South, between Vulcan Park and English Village, Diaper Row is one of those pockets you’d never find unless a local pointed you to it. The homes are historic, the views over downtown are unreal, and the whole street has a charm you can’t manufacture.
I’m a Realtor and an interior designer, so a place like this lights up both halves of my brain at once — the history and the homes, the character and the comeback stories. Let me show you around.
First, the name
The nickname is my favorite kind of local lore. After World War II, this stretch of 21st Avenue South filled up all at once with young newlywed and military families — and there were so many babies that cloth diapers were always out drying on the clotheslines. “Diaper Row” stuck, and it never left.
That’s the thing about these old Red Mountain streets: the history is still living in them.
Where it sits (and why that matters)
Diaper Row is part of Birmingham’s Redmont Park area, right on the crest of Red Mountain. Back when Birmingham was a smoky industrial city, people built up here for the cool breezes and the panoramic views above it all — and those views are still the draw today.
The reason people built up here: the view over the city from Red Mountain.
The views. You’re up above the city, looking out over the downtown skyline — the same view people drive up to Vulcan for, except here it’s your backyard. And because you’re tucked right under Vulcan, you get some of the best seats in the whole city for Thunder on the Mountain, Birmingham’s massive Fourth of July fireworks show, launched right off the top of Red Mountain every year.
Minutes to everything. English Village is right at the top of the mountain, downtown is a short drive down, and UAB is just over a mile away. Mountain Brook and Homewood are practically next door. It genuinely is the best of all worlds.
Real, walkable character. This isn’t a subdivision. It’s a historic street with a sense of place — the kind of neighborhood that feels like somewhere.
The house that started it all
Here’s the personal part. During COVID, I gutted and fully renovated a historic home right here on Diaper Row. That project changed my life.
It’s the home that kickstarted my entire design business — every wall we opened up, every finish, every hard call about what to save and what to reimagine taught me the head-and-heart approach I now bring to every single client. That house is where all of this really began.
The Diaper Row renovation — before, and after.
Seeing what these old homes can become is exactly why I do what I do. Give me good bones and a little history, and I’m all in.
The neighbors: English Village & Key Circle
One of the best perks of Diaper Row is what’s just down the road at the top of the mountain — English Village, a walkable little cluster of some of Birmingham’s most beloved spots:
Key Circle Commons. Set at the historic Key Circle roundabout, this is the neighborhood’s craft-cocktail gathering place — steeped in tradition but always doing something new, with local ingredients, beautiful drinks, and live music. It’s exactly the kind of place that makes this pocket of the mountain feel like a community.
Two of the craft cocktails at Key Circle Commons — the Village Green (left) and the If You Can’t Beet ‘Em (right).
Vino & the Gallery Bar. An intimate Mediterranean-Italian spot with one of the best patios in town — and tucked right alongside it, the Gallery Bar, set inside an art gallery with real paintings on the walls and great music playing. It’s a genuinely underrated place to wind down over a cocktail.
Continental Bakery & Chez Lulu. The bakery for breads and pastries, and the French café next door for a jazzy, lingering kind of meal — a true Birmingham institution.
Vulcan Park. The city’s landmark and best view, just down the ridge.
Let’s talk about the homes
Diaper Row and the surrounding Redmont Park streets are full of historic homes with real character — the kind of details you simply can’t reproduce today. Some are beautifully kept; others are waiting for someone with vision to bring them back to life. (That’s my favorite kind of project.)
On price, homes up here span a wide range depending on size, condition, and how far up the mountain you go — from the classic bungalows of Diaper Row into the larger restored homes and estates higher up. (Prices move, so reach out for today’s numbers on a specific street.) The trick with any of them is the same head-and-heart question I love: knowing which historic details are worth protecting, and which updates actually pay off down the road.
Could Red Mountain be your spot?
If a historic home with a downtown view and English Village at the top of your street sounds like your kind of life, let’s talk. On a Neighborhood Match Call, we’ll walk through what you’re looking for, and I’ll help you figure out whether Diaper Row — or another pocket of Birmingham — is the right fit.
Just starting your search? My full Moving to Birmingham neighborhood guide covers all seven regions of the metro.
Find a home you love. Make it feel like home.
Kristen McGee, Kristen McGee Homes
Real Estate and Interior Design, brokered by Arc Realty
(205) 907-3390 · kristen@kristenmcgeehomes.com · kristenmcgeehomes.com
