HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Downtown Huntsville history is front and center during this year's Huntsville Historic Preservation Month.
This year’s “Saving Places” campaign includes walking tours, videos, and social media posts highlighting various downtown commercial sites.
“Historic Preservation Month is a time to celebrate the places that are meaningful to our community,” Mayor Battle said. “Growth has been a constant in the history of Huntsville, and we want to recognize the places that have been integral to that development and revitalization.”
Walking tours
As part of #SavingPlacesHsv, City Preservation Planner Katie Stamps will lead free guided walking tours of downtown Huntsville at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 14, and 6 p.m. Friday, May 20. Tours will leave from the historic First National Bank Building on West Side Square.
“The City of Huntsville’s history began on the Courthouse Square when settler John Hunt first built his cabin on the bluff above the Big Spring,” she said. “Within a few blocks of that location, we can tell the history of Huntsville and envision its future.”
Notable sites
Featured commercial properties include
- I. Schiffman Building, owned and preserved by the Schiffman and Goldsmith families since 1905. Built in 1845 and renovated in 1895, the I. Schiffman Building is one of the most iconic commercial buildings on the Courthouse Square.
- Clinton Row Shops & Downtown Storage and the former Yarborough Hotel, home to Downtown Huntsville, Inc. illustrating the adaptive reuse of historic buildings in creative ways.
Other in-person events coinciding with Historic Preservation Month include:
- Historic Huntsville Foundation’s historic marker unveiling honoring Dr. Frances Cabaniss Roberts at 11 a.m. Friday, May 6, at 603 Randolph Ave.
- Five Points Porch Fest will be from 6-10 p.m. Saturday, May 7.
- “Rooted in History: Women as Creators, Movers & Shakers” exhibit will open at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 24, at Harrison Brothers Hardware on the Square.
