Sloss Furnaces
Sloss Blast Furnace Site | |
Sloss Furnaces, Birmingham, in July 2016 | |
| Location | 1st Ave. at 32nd St. Birmingham, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°31′14.36″N 86°47′28.70″W / 33.5206556°N 86.7913056°W |
| Built | 1881 |
| Architect | James W. Sloss; Et al. |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000162 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 22, 1972 |
| Designated NHL | May 29, 1981 |
Sloss Furnaces is a National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Alabama in the United States. It operated as a pig iron-producing blast furnace from 1882 to 1971. After closing, it became one of the first industrial sites (and the only blast furnace) in the U.S. to be preserved and restored for public use. In 1981, the furnaces were designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior.
The site currently serves as an interpretive museum of industry and hosts a metal arts program. It also serves as a concert and festival venue. A new visitor center was built 2015 and opened in 2016. The furnace site, along a wide strip of land reserved in Birmingham's original city plan for railroads and industry, hosts students through their education programs. The museum is free to visit.