I wasn't always a fan. But it would be an awful waste to tear down such an iconic structure in the middle of Huntsville.
We have more than enough controversy in this chaotic era, it’s true. Still, I have what may be a polarizing proposal, and it needs to be made now, before it’s too late. Here it is, so take it or leave it as you like: I think the Madison County Courthouse should remain in the Square downtown and be reinvented to serve the people in new ways for generations to come.
Like many Huntsvillians, I’ve long abused the courthouse for its ungainly size, its dark cladding, and its visual incongruity with the surrounding area. As a youth, I thought of it as “the brown blob” and knew not to answer the pay phone on the Square, as it could very well be a prisoner calling from the County Jail on the top two floors of the building, where inmates would sometimes wave from the narrow windows, opened for relief from the heat. The spectacular mural, framed by a series of undulating staircases –a beautiful embodiment of symmetry and grace that the people of Madison County created and can still enjoy to this day.I certainly didn’t think of the courthouse as “historic,” not like the Bibb House or the First National Bank building, with their gleaming columns. It opened around the time I was born, so what on earth could be historic about that?? Alas, having reached a certain age, and having seen giants and institutions of every ilk crumble and fall, I’m starting to appreciate that history is much closer than we think, and that it can be easy to miss, and to lose. The courthouse at sunset in May 2025, photographed from the Holmes Street parking deck. From this angle, the building’s reflective beauty, almost impossible to see from the street level, is evident.The courthouse and I both debuted in the mid-1960s, amid the energy and exhilaration of the space program. My parents even met at Marshall Space Flight Center, where they worked during their college years. And the courthouse was planned and designed to reflect our area’s role in the amazing Space Age.was dubbed “the Courthouse Dedication Issue,” and a large section was devoted to the hotly anticipated opening of the courthouse, with ads from all kinds of local businesses wanting to join in on the excitement. The city’s residents thronged to see it when it first opened.It was a long road from the start of construction in 1965 to opening day in 1967, a fascinating process that the city followed with enthusiasm. But that’s a story for another post. What’s at stake right now is the future. To reiterate, I was not a fan of the courthouse for a long time. My youthful dislike of it persisted into adulthood and into middle age, although I always admired the amazing mural and graceful staircases in the lobby. Sam and Greg’s restaurant – a favorite of pizza and gelato lovers of all ages – on a snow day in January 2024, with a view of the courthouse facade. Many area kids are growing up enjoying pizza and gelato with this striking view in the background.What started to shift my opinion was seeing it — and more importantly, photographing it — with the columns lit up in colors during Huntsville’s summer 2022 celebration of being named Best City to Live in the United States byAt the city’s August 22, 2022 celebration of being named Best Place in the United States to Live byThe lights on the courthouse columns started to glow as sunset approached. On city’s Aug. 22, 2022, the columns were lit up to gorgeous effect. This image is a great case for adding lighting effects to the courthouse and making it a showstopper on the downtown light trail.I was a little astonished looking at it in person, and even more so while dwelling on the photos afterward. “Crikey!” I said to myself. “That thing isThis image is a great case for adding lighting effects to the courthouse and making it a showstopper on the downtown light trail.In the last year or two, rumblings from the powers that be have suggested that demolition of the courthouse is a done deal, and that what remains is only to figure out the best option for replacing it. But my feelings were mixed as proposals emerged for a possible new building or a park. Neither really sat well in my mind. I even tried to come up with some options and ideas myself. Since it sounded like demolition was happening no matter what, I just wondered how we could make the best of it.But the more I thought about it, and the more I looked at those photos of the lit-up columns, the more it seemed like it would be an awful waste to take down such an iconic structure. After all, we need more, rather than fewer, places in the city center for people to work, live, and play. Why take down a building with room for all of that, one that reflects such an important moment in the city’s history? Why notSo I took my camera and went looking for the beauty I’d started to see in those lighted columns, hoping to see the possibilities, and to help others see them as well. And, despite the scruffiness and lack of updates and spiffing up in recent years, there was a lot of beauty to find, especially at sunset, when the building turns golden and majestic. From my favorite vantage point atop the Holmes Street parking deck, I saw it as it should be. The Madison County Courthouse in spring, in the early 2020s, amid flowering trees, with the First National Bank Building in the foreground.Vicki VanValkenburgh is a Realtor with Van Valkenburgh & Wilkinson Properties, Inc., in Huntsville, where she photographs the city scene in her spare time. She is a member of the Historic Huntsville Foundation Board of Directors, the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra Foundation Board of Directors, and First United Methodist Church.is written and coordinated by Doug Martinson. Interested in writing a guest column? Or have a suggestion for a future topic? Email columnistDoug Martinson publishes View from the Top, a column from AL.com about big ideas for Huntsville, it's history and what comes next as the city continues to expand. Martinson is an attorney at Martinson and...If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our
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