Adaptive Re-Use of Buildings: Two Perfect Examples in Huntsville, AL

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What is the adaptive reuse of a historic building? This is when architects repurpose a building for a whole new use. Communities around the country have some cool ideas on just how to do this to meet the modern community’s needs.

Until I was 12 years old, I lived in a house that was over 100 years old in a neighborhood where every house was 100 years old. Those really were my “formative years,” I guess because later in life I managed a historic facility for over a decade and oversaw much of its upkeep. I was constantly tasked with providing services in the modern era (which sometimes means modernizing) without destroying the inherent history and charm. As a result of these experiences, I am a historic preservationist at heart. I am not a fan of the “tear it down and start over” school of thought. Adaptive re-use of buildings can be done and done well. Communities all over the country are now taking old factories and creating retail spaces, artist studios and apartments that honor that facility’s original purpose. In Huntsville, Alabama I found two really cool and unique examples.

The Stovehouse

The west side of Huntsville is undergoing a revitalization effort. The community created a slogan for this effort, and I immediately fell in love with it.

Westside: Pride. Progress. Preservation

This is everything I stand for when we’re talking about community revitalization. You find that community’s character and spirit and stick with it. Show your pride in it while creatively finding ways to move into the future.

In 1929, the Electric Belle Stove Company opened in Huntsville. Shortly thereafter, Martin Stamping & Stove Company bought them out and expanded the site. They had foundries on the site where they built cast iron stoves (which were gas and electric), air circulators and more up until the turn of the century. In 2018, Huntsville began an adaptive re-use project to turn this huge, vacant factory into a complex of restaurants, shops, office spaces, and more.

Today, there are grass courtyards for play, restaurants for chowing down, bars & cocktail lounges for socializing, fitness studios for exercising, office spaces for entrepreneurs and so much more! There are even stages for small concerts and rentable special event spaces. It’s a great place to go during a pandemic, too, because there is outdoor seating everywhere.

During my visit to The Stovehouse I discovered a place called Oscar Moon’s. An old-fashioned soda fountain/ice cream shop on steroids, this place is for people who love fun, ice cream, and having a good time. Want to have a special treat day? Want to reward yourself for surviving a global pandemic (so far) with your sanity intact? Want to reward yourself for eating salad at lunch? Go to Oscar Moon’s! OK, that last one might seem counterintuitive. . .

Oscar Moon’s is not inexpensive, but the portions are large. My husband and I shared the Hella Nutella Shake ($7.50). Basically, they coat the entire inside of the cup with Nutella and then make a vanilla milkshake with whipped cream in that cup. If you are thinking about the calories at all right now, then this place is not for you because you don’t get it. The point of it is lost on you. This is about letting go for 15 minutes and not giving a damn about the nutrition information. Is it healthy to do this every day? Of course not, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about spending a lovely Saturday afternoon strolling hand-in-hand with your husband and sharing a milkshake with the aforementioned cutie. I refuse to find fault with that.

The organizers of The Stovehouse have done a great job of seeking a variety of food vendors, too. During our visit, we saw restaurants that served Mediterranean, tacos, Japanese ramen, crepes (both sweet and savory), BBQ (because we’re in the South), a pizza/sandwich place and a coffee shop. The creativity of this place was encouraging, and it gets even better. This was my first stop, wait until you see my second stop. . .

Campus 805

From 1951 until 2009 this location was an educational campus. It was an extension for the University of Alabama, then a high school, and finally, a middle school. In 2009, the Huntsville City school system closed the middle school and put the property up for sale. A developer with true vision came along in 2014 and purchased the property. . .and Campus 805 was born! Campus 805 is right down the street from The Stovehouse and is, therefore, part of the revitalization of the west side of town too. I mentioned a slogan earlier: Pride. Progress. Preservation. Here is another amazing example. 805 refers to the last three digits of the local zip code. The athletic fields from the school were turned into an urban park and inside visitors will find restaurants, special event spaces, office spaces and more.

I should mention that the place is HUGE. As high schools go, it was a large one. There are two stories (both elevators and stairs available). They’ve kept the school appearance and now the old lockers and hallway restrooms are all part of the charm. While strolling around, we saw a tattoo parlor, a ballroom dance studio, and my personal favorite, an adults-only/smoke-free arcade! Yes, that’s right, it appears that Ronnie Raygun’s Arcade was developed just for my generation. We appreciate old-school arcade games, pinball, and smoke-free environments. Ingenuity is the name of the game at Campus 805.

Historic preservation doesn’t have to be boring. Communities can make changes that serve the needs to the modern-day community and still honor the past. Finding the nuggets of original character should be seen as a worthwhile treasure hunt. If city planners are willing to listen to what residents want and what residents say they will actually use, community revitalization and historic preservation do not have to be at odds with one another. It still beats the “tear it down” mentality in my opinion. Congratulations to the city of Huntsville for thinking outside the box.