Montgomery and Huntsville downtown pics

[tonytt]

Could'nt find too many on either city but here's a few I found-

Huntsville-

Montgomery-

[EvanK]

That 2nd photo sure doesn't look like Montgomery.

[jmanhsv]

The first and third pics of Huntsville are very outdated. The second pic actually seems pretty recent, about 2003 or so.

I have seen those pics before of Huntsville, and I dont really like them. It makes our skyline look shorter than it already is . This is the best pic of downtown Huntsville I have seen on the web. It's part of the Chamber of Commerce banner on their website.

Huntsville will have a completely different skyline a year from now, so there might be some new pics coming soon.

BTW, I agree w/ Evan. That last pic isn't Montgomery.

[Claws]

I was in Huntsville extensively just last weekend, and I spotted two new constructions: a tall building right on the edge of the lake in the park and one off in the distance (I could only see its crane). The Big Stream/Creek/River park is just magnificent. It's very relaxing. I am so envious.

[tonytt]

I got those pics off Google, the more I look at that 'Montgomery pic' the more I think it may be New Orleans, not sure why it came up as Montgomery in Google though Good old google eh

[EvanK]

I got those pics off Google, the more I look at that 'Montgomery pic' the more I think it may be New Orleans, not sure why it came up as Montgomery in Google though Good old google eh 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, that 2nd photo is definately not Montgomery. Don't know where it is, but it sure isn't M'gmry.

[jmanhsv]

I was in Huntsville extensively just last weekend, and I spotted two new constructions: a tall building right on the edge of the lake in the park and one off in the distance (I could only see its crane). The Big Stream/Creek/River park is just magnificent. It's very relaxing. I am so envious.

That "tall building" next to the park is the Big Spring Summit office tower. There was a big controversy over this building because it is so close to the park and people believed it would "destroy" the park (a few bushes are being taken out). It is being built on what used to be part of a parking garage, a bigger eyesore IMO. Here's what its gonna look like:

There are plans to build a multi-story condo tower next to it.

The other crane is the Embassy Suites hotel. It is part of a park expansion project that includes an ampitheatre, a riverwalk and more.

[Southron]

Nice projects going up in downtown Huntsville.

[johnnydr87]

What's the tallest building in Huntsville? The "skyline" looks similar to that of Fort Smith, AR (pop: 82,000). It is a little bigger (Huntsville). The mountain/hills look nice in the background.

[bobliocatt]

Great update on Huntsville. It looks like its getting in on the South's urban boom as well.

[jmanhsv]

What's the tallest building in Huntsville?

Sorry for the wait, Ive been in Chicago this weekend. The tallest building in Huntsville is the Amsouth Center, built in 1990. It has 12 floors, and it is about 160 feet tall.

Its place might be taken in a few years. A local developer has announced a 21-story condo tower downtown. Currently, he is trying to get the city to agree to build a parking garage near it, and there are no renderings (yet).

[Blazer85]

Huntsville, IMO, looks alot like Anniston... although bigger than Anniston of course, but I'm referring to the lay of the land and where the city sits in relation to the surrounding hills. Huntsville needs at least one 20-story building. For a city its size, it's a little further behind many other similar sized cities in terms of skyline. Hoover, though in the BHM MSA, has only 67,000 people, but yet has one building of 17-stories and another of 15-stories. Not a knock to Huntsville, but I mean, skyline isnt as important as some things, but there's really no excuse for the tallest building in Huntsville being just 12-stories.

[jmanhsv]

^ I agree, we need some bigger buildings in downtown. But there is one problem with downtown Huntsville that has prevented us from getting taller buildings here. Our downtown is designed for a city with 16,000 (not a typo) people, which was the approximate population of the city in 1950. Our city has grown tenfold since then, and our downtown still is about 25 blocks large.

Developers have gotten around the land hurdle by buying abandoned stores and small office buildings (2 to 3 stories) and renovating them into condos, lofts, office space, or upscale restaurants, which seems to be the trend in downtown.

My theory on the small buildings is that Huntsville grew so quickly that people just neglected the downtown for many years. It has only been in the last 15 years that downtown has had a master plan, and only in the past 5 has that plan been put to action. I think that in about 5 years, Huntsville will have a much bigger skyline. One developer said that if the current condo projects do well, the city might have the potential for 1000 more condos in the downtown area. Most of them will have to be in high-rises.

[Blazer85]

^ I agree, we need some bigger buildings in downtown. But there is one problem with downtown Huntsville that has prevented us from getting taller buildings here. Our downtown is designed for a city with 16,000 (not a typo) people, which was the approximate population of the city in 1950. Our city has grown tenfold since then, and our downtown still is about 25 blocks large.

Developers have gotten around the land hurdle by buying abandoned stores and small office buildings (2 to 3 stories) and renovating them into condos, lofts, office space, or upscale restaurants, which seems to be the trend in downtown.

My theory on the small buildings is that Huntsville grew so quickly that people just neglected the downtown for many years. It has only been in the last 15 years that downtown has had a master plan, and only in the past 5 has that plan been put to action. I think that in about 5 years, Huntsville will have a much bigger skyline. One developer said that if the current condo projects do well, the city might have the potential for 1000 more condos in the downtown area. Most of them will have to be in high-rises.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I assume you mean 1000 condo units and not 1000 condo buildings, right?

The other unfortunate thing about Huntsville is in that I-65 doesnt go straight through it, so none of the passers-through would even get to see it unless they go out of their way. Maybe Huntsville can build more towards the west and Decatur build more towards the east and meet somewhere in the middle around I-65

[jmanhsv]

Way ahead of you there, Blazer. Huntsville, Decatur, Athens and Madison city limits already meet at the 565/65 interchange. It has been the site of major developments during the past few years, but they all fell through. One included a dome, but it died after the developers did not get enough support and funding from local governments (think the Ham's proposed dome project, just with a lot less public opinion and only 15000 seats).

Right now, the only active development there is by a Decatur church. It plans to build a mixed-use development in a swampy area west of the interchange. On the Huntsville side, three miles away, there is the Target distribution center and a new subdivision that will have 1500 homes, a large number compared to other Huntsville area housing developments. But the interchange area won't see a population boom until after Hsv takes over the town of Mooresville, population 67, located a mile from the interchange. This could happen in a few years, and the people in that town are very afraid of the imminent transformation from an antebellum town to a carbon copy of Madison, about 5 miles to the east.

65 did not go through Huntsville for several reasons. One, the route was planned in the 50s, when Decatur had more people than Hsv. If the interstate was planned 20 years later, it would have gone through Hsv, probably paralleling the route of what is now Memorial Parkway, the major north-south route through the city. Two, Decatur was supposed to be the social and cultural capital of North Alabama, and Huntsville would probably have been a suburb. Now, it's the other way around.

Oh yeah, I meant 1000 condo buildings.

[NCB]

That 2nd photo sure doesn't look like Montgomery.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

the 2nd pic looks like downtown shreveport to me...

[dromulus]

the 2nd pic looks like  downtown shreveport to me...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

you are correct. the second pic is shreveport. i have no idea why that ended up with a mongomery search.

speaking of mongomery, i went to auburn in the early 90s and remember several midrise office buildings on the east side of town, as you were traveling into town on 85. has that area grown up anymore? it seemed like a hotbed of development at that time.

[thehappysmith]

Here's some more Montgomery pics, actually of Montgomery this time. These would be summertime 2001, I believe.

Taken from the parking lot of the train station (which is an incredible building, by the way, with one of the South's best Thai restaurants inside.)

Taken from the top of the exit ramp off of I-what is it, 65? Yeah, I think so.

There's this fountain in the middle of downtown; I'm looking north up Market or Commerce street or some such, toward the railroad and the river; turn 90 to the right and you look up the street at the capitol building.

[Southron]

Nice pics, happysmith. The one taken from the train station shows what's left of the old buildings along Commerce St. The third pic is Commerce Street from the other direction.

[tedo420]

Huntsville is a very difficult city to navigate. The interstates there are crazy. Not very well layed out. Birmingham is luck in that it was one of the few planned cities in the south. The downtown Grid layout makes it easy to get around. But that can be fixed over time, Huntsville has a nice park-like downtown. Birmingham is really too dense for a city its size, needs more parks, open space. They've gotten obsessed with saving old buildings.

[jmanhsv]

Huntsville is a very difficult city to navigate. The interstates there are crazy. Not very well layed out.

Thats the first time Ive heard that. I always hear that Huntsville is fairly easy to get around, with only 2 limited-access highways, one north-south and one east-west. The only two problems with Huntsville streets: the constant construction and the fact that there are 5 names for the same street.

And what do you mean by "the interstates are crazy?" Do you mean that the traffic's bad? I know that 565 does not have bad traffic, except if there is an accident, then everyone slows down and gawks. The Parkway is only bad around the 565 interchange, aka "Malfunction Junction" by the traffic reporters.

However, if you meant that the interstate is crazy b/c everyone goes 120, then I'll agree with you

[Dale]

How did Shreveport get in there ?

Oops ! Missed where you guys caught it.

[EvanK]

Sorry for the wait, Ive been in Chicago this weekend. The tallest building in Huntsville is the Amsouth Center, built in 1990. It has 12 floors, and it is about 160 feet tall.

Its place might be taken in a few years. A local developer has announced a 21-story condo tower downtown. Currently, he is trying to get the city to agree to build a parking garage near it, and there are no renderings (yet).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

For real? Just 12 stories? WOW! My hometown, Gadsden, is about to have a taller building than Huntsville. That's unreal to me because Huntsville is twice as big as Gadsden. We are getting a 14 story riverfront condo tower, and there are talks of adding a 2nd 14 story tower adjacent to it because the first tower is already selling out. Construction begins this Spring.

I love Huntsville though. That entire area is beautiful.

Oops. I just noticed the part about the possible 21 story condo in Huntsville.

[jmanhsv]

There is a building north of downtown (Huntsville) that has 14 floors, but it's not listed on Emporis and I don't know who owns it or what it is called. All I know is that it's a retirement community.

It's good to see that Gadsden is finally turning around. Maybe we need to put a river in our downtown, so we can get that kind of development.

[cckadlec]

No, this isn't Montogomery. As a matter of fact, the URL itself says US-71 LA1 SB skyline from Montgomery St.JPG. The photo was taken by myself in Shreveport, Louisiana looking south from Montgomery Street. It's easier to see that if you had gone to the website and saw it under LA... but Google and its images search really tears my site apart and offers all my photos up for image searches . Just felt like coming in and clearing up WHERE the photo was taken for those who were discussing it!!! Haha.

--Chris Kadlec