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

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Sloss Furnaces

Top choice in Birmingham


The Sloss Furnaces constitutes one of Birmingham's can't-miss sites. From 1882 to 1971, this was a pig iron–producing blast furnace and a cornerstone of Birmingham's economy. Today, instead of a wasteland it's a National Historic Landmark, a red mass of steel and girders rusted into a Gothic monument to American industry. Quiet pathways pass cobwebbed workshops and production lines that form a photographer's dream playground. A small museum on site explores the furnaces' history.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Birmingham attractions

1. McWane Science Center

1.18 MILES

This science museum, full of all manner of interactive exhibits, is primarily set up for families; if you have kids in tow, it's one of the most…

2. Birmingham Museum of Art

1.21 MILES

This fine museum boasts an impressive collection, especially given Birmingham's status as a mid-sized city. Inside, you'll find works from Asia, Africa,…

3. Railroad Park

1.3 MILES

Credit where it's due: Birmingham's Railroad Park, which constitutes some 19 acres of downtown real estate, is a stroke of planning brilliance. As urban…

4. Kelly Ingram Park

1.43 MILES

When Bull Conner was the sheriff, civil rights activists, led by Dr King, embarked on a desegregation campaign downtown. Their strategy was to flood the…

5. Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

1.49 MILES

A maze of moving audio, video and photography exhibits tell the story of racial segregation and the Civil Rights movement, with a focus on activities in…

6. 16th Street Baptist Church

1.5 MILES

This church became a gathering place for organizational meetings and a launchpad for protests in Birmingham in the 1950s and ’60s. During a massive…

7. Vulcan Park

2.13 MILES

Imagine Christ the Redeemer in Rio, but made of iron and depicting a beefcake Roman god of metalworking. Vulcan is visible from all over the city – this…

8. Moss Rock Preserve

10.1 MILES

You'll find about 12 miles of trails webbing across this 349-acre nature preserve, which is thick with streams, forests and dramatic rock outcroppings…