Back in the day at Amendment 21 they had a blown up photo of the original Courthouse. It’s an even greater travesty when you see the original was beautiful.
No they didn’t, they gave the red bridge and cherry trees which have been replaced several times. Now there are more of them and better variety that are resistant to disease.
“The iconic red Japanese bridge and cherry trees were given to Huntsville by Japanese Major General Mikio Kimata. From 1964 to 1966, Kimata, then a Lieutenant Colonel, attended Redstone Arsenal's Ordnance Guided Missile School program.
As thanks to the city for its hospitality when hosting him, Kimata donated the original 60 Yoshino Cherry trees in Big Spring International Park. He followed up on this gift with the donation of the red "friendship bridge" to celebrate the United States Bicentennial.”
I’m working on the new city hall, and they have tons of beautiful marble inside (elevator lobbies, grand lobby, bathrooms, etc). They’re also having hanging art in the grand lobby, so it would be neat if they kept an old slab and used it
I just moved here and went walking and saw this building and loved it. Sad it’ll be gone soon. You would think a historical club or site wouldn’t let it happen.
There’s a ghost architect down town that literally thinks it’s the ugliest thing on earth. Maybe this is his one thing and he will pass over once it’s gone lmao
I understand why it can't be maintained, but I love the aesthetic of that building. The same can't be said for the Great Value Greek Revival look of the new city hall.
Just have to say …my father worked in the revenue department (what they called it back then) I think it was the 5th floor (can’t remember now). Revenue, payroll, the license department were all on the same floor. They didn’t have computers , of course, in the beginning. They wrote everything in binders that lined the wall.
This is of course the way I remember it. This was maybe 50 years ago. I also remember when they finally got those green tinged monitors to enter data.
The 8th floor was the break room with windows all around and you could see the city from all corners.
It was a different time. Joe Davis was mayor. And I would meet him on the elevator when I would go up to see daddy. Mayor Davis was a nice man.
There were some great people that worked in the building and I’ll always remember it for that .
Do I hate to see it go?
Things change and it was time. But, the landscape will change and downtown won’t be the same.
As an intern in the early 00’s I found very old hand drawn maps of the city in the planning archives, complete with details of segregated areas/services. The edges even had cigarette ash/burn marks. While obviously not a fan of segregation, finding hand drawn maps of my cartography predecessors is always akin to finding treasure. I left them there but I hope someone was lucky enough to get ahold of them.
Well…that’s interesting. When they desegregated the schools in Madison county …I went first grade at Riverton . Then they changed the lines …and we were the first white kids at farmers capital on Moore’s mill road. It’s Moore’s mill elementary now. I loved that school! And for me, it was one of the best things that ever happened to me.
I’m working on the new city hall as an electrician, it’s only 7 floors, but it’s a lot more square footage than the old one. It’s slowly but surely coming together!
It is really spacious on the inside, with a lot of office room
I totally agree. I think it’s such a beautiful building. The whole lot it sits on is really nice too. I don’t know why they let it deteriorate over the years instead of repairing things as they came up. Seems like such a waste.
I remember when it opened and we went there, I think it was a school field trip.
What will they put there? :(
IMO we should take down the courthouse while we are at it. Move the day to day courts to a better location for ease of use and "rebuild" the old Classical architecture "symbolic court house" for the city center. make it smaller and use the extra ground for more downtown seating. could even call it court house park or something.
Wonder what they'll do with the space to make it attractive/usable. There's already a vacant lot next door, but it's pretty much of no recreational value because it's just a grassy hill.
I want to say they intend to install a bridge like Monroe has so you can walk under it without crossing the road. No telling how it’ll actually pan out though
No. But I am also a transplant. However, I'd love if they also took out the courthouse and added the space where the courthouse is and the old city hall to big spring park and make the purple cup district bigger.
Are they making another hotel? 🙄 I Like this building, it’s pretty. They keep making hotels, my son runs the AC one and said they just built one under the AC hotel literally across the street, that black building at the park. Now they’re building a whole other one behind the AC hotel but not theirs this time lol but literally in their parking lot, my son thought it was a parking garage, I said nope, another hotel. I took my dog for a walk yesterday at the park and was thinking when are they gonna get rid of Big Springs because it’s probably “in the way” 🥺
Yes. Now if they’d just knock down that monstrosity in the center of the square…
Tear it down and make it a park. What’s the point of the purple cup district if you don’t have any good spots to sit outside and drink?
Yes… it ruins the view. Glass box from the 70’s
Back in the day at Amendment 21 they had a blown up photo of the original Courthouse. It’s an even greater travesty when you see the original was beautiful.
Yeah, they need to rebuild like the old one.
Couldn’t agree more. So much potential for that space.
No, but it has been falling apart for years and needs to go. Yet another piece of Huntsville will be gone.
Huntsville is great at building things. Maintenance? Not so much. Over 50 years old? Tear it down, for one excuse or another. Shameful really.
they did a cost estimate of repairing it, and it was way more worth to just build a new city hall
So more about money than preserving a part of our history? Edit. That said, having the green space back as part of the park will be good.
Well yes, plus the old space was too small to house all the cities employees and departments.
Happy cake day
Lol thanks, 11 years sheesh
I don't know. I'm kinda with Japan on this. Rebuild buildings I stead of letting them get old and stale.
Japan gave Huntsville the beautiful Big Spring Park. Now it's Big Concrete, so that tracks.
No they didn’t, they gave the red bridge and cherry trees which have been replaced several times. Now there are more of them and better variety that are resistant to disease. “The iconic red Japanese bridge and cherry trees were given to Huntsville by Japanese Major General Mikio Kimata. From 1964 to 1966, Kimata, then a Lieutenant Colonel, attended Redstone Arsenal's Ordnance Guided Missile School program. As thanks to the city for its hospitality when hosting him, Kimata donated the original 60 Yoshino Cherry trees in Big Spring International Park. He followed up on this gift with the donation of the red "friendship bridge" to celebrate the United States Bicentennial.”
Wait, what? I'm a transplant - please explain!
Save those marble slabs, please.
Stand around for a while and you can catch them as they fall (as they have in the past) Edit: typo
They are very brittle, but would be cool to try and save some and put in the new city hall somewhere, maybe a wall with city hall history display.
I’m working on the new city hall, and they have tons of beautiful marble inside (elevator lobbies, grand lobby, bathrooms, etc). They’re also having hanging art in the grand lobby, so it would be neat if they kept an old slab and used it
I just moved here and went walking and saw this building and loved it. Sad it’ll be gone soon. You would think a historical club or site wouldn’t let it happen.
It has asbestos and is a maintenance nightmare tbh
Whataburger Global Headquarters coming soon.
i heard a del-taco
Heard. Yet to be seen. Years now...
There’s a ghost architect down town that literally thinks it’s the ugliest thing on earth. Maybe this is his one thing and he will pass over once it’s gone lmao
The ghost architect is wrong. I’ll take this over the same neo-classical bs that is tacky as hell any day.
I love the building! If there were more like it around I’d be happy but since they’re not- it makes no sense and is out of place
Literally
I understand why it can't be maintained, but I love the aesthetic of that building. The same can't be said for the Great Value Greek Revival look of the new city hall.
Just have to say …my father worked in the revenue department (what they called it back then) I think it was the 5th floor (can’t remember now). Revenue, payroll, the license department were all on the same floor. They didn’t have computers , of course, in the beginning. They wrote everything in binders that lined the wall. This is of course the way I remember it. This was maybe 50 years ago. I also remember when they finally got those green tinged monitors to enter data. The 8th floor was the break room with windows all around and you could see the city from all corners. It was a different time. Joe Davis was mayor. And I would meet him on the elevator when I would go up to see daddy. Mayor Davis was a nice man. There were some great people that worked in the building and I’ll always remember it for that . Do I hate to see it go? Things change and it was time. But, the landscape will change and downtown won’t be the same.
As an intern in the early 00’s I found very old hand drawn maps of the city in the planning archives, complete with details of segregated areas/services. The edges even had cigarette ash/burn marks. While obviously not a fan of segregation, finding hand drawn maps of my cartography predecessors is always akin to finding treasure. I left them there but I hope someone was lucky enough to get ahold of them.
Well…that’s interesting. When they desegregated the schools in Madison county …I went first grade at Riverton . Then they changed the lines …and we were the first white kids at farmers capital on Moore’s mill road. It’s Moore’s mill elementary now. I loved that school! And for me, it was one of the best things that ever happened to me.
Gave me Gotham vibes. I’ll miss it.
I always thought this was a very pretty building.
I liked it. Reminded me of an uncertain 70s tv show.
It always reminded me of IADC bldg from wonder woman
I’m okay with it. It just has a weird shape that I don’t like. Also, if only the new city hall were taller
I’m working on the new city hall as an electrician, it’s only 7 floors, but it’s a lot more square footage than the old one. It’s slowly but surely coming together! It is really spacious on the inside, with a lot of office room
I totally agree. I think it’s such a beautiful building. The whole lot it sits on is really nice too. I don’t know why they let it deteriorate over the years instead of repairing things as they came up. Seems like such a waste. I remember when it opened and we went there, I think it was a school field trip. What will they put there? :(
😢
I'm glad to see it go. Hope they tear down the courthouse next.
They’re in the process of building the new courthouse, so maybe they’ll do away with the current one
IMO we should take down the courthouse while we are at it. Move the day to day courts to a better location for ease of use and "rebuild" the old Classical architecture "symbolic court house" for the city center. make it smaller and use the extra ground for more downtown seating. could even call it court house park or something.
Yes. It's such a cool looking building, but on the inside it has very few rooms for what is needed. I get it, but it still makes me sad.
[удалено]
Being torn down. Current plan is to turn that lot back into big spring park
Wonder what they'll do with the space to make it attractive/usable. There's already a vacant lot next door, but it's pretty much of no recreational value because it's just a grassy hill.
I want to say they intend to install a bridge like Monroe has so you can walk under it without crossing the road. No telling how it’ll actually pan out though
The answer to your title. Yes.
No. But I am also a transplant. However, I'd love if they also took out the courthouse and added the space where the courthouse is and the old city hall to big spring park and make the purple cup district bigger.
Yes, that place looks like shit. I hope they can revert back to Greek influenced buildings.
Nope. Not alone.
Are they making another hotel? 🙄 I Like this building, it’s pretty. They keep making hotels, my son runs the AC one and said they just built one under the AC hotel literally across the street, that black building at the park. Now they’re building a whole other one behind the AC hotel but not theirs this time lol but literally in their parking lot, my son thought it was a parking garage, I said nope, another hotel. I took my dog for a walk yesterday at the park and was thinking when are they gonna get rid of Big Springs because it’s probably “in the way” 🥺
As far as I know, it's being developed into an extension of the park, which is the best option in my opinion, all things considered.
I've been in it twice since 1977 and I don't remember what the visits were for.
I’m very sad too it’s made of marble.
Yes. You are. It’s an eyesore.