City leaders to hold ‘community conversation’ as part of Historic Huntsville Depot master plan

HUNTSVILLE – Taking a major part of Huntsville’s past and putting it on track with the future, city officials will host “community conversations” this week on the downtown historic Huntsville Depot site.

“It will be a community conversation,” Mayor Tommy Battle said. “It’s time for us to start thinking about the future. It’s time to think about how the depot and the surrounding grounds can serve future generations.”

The city recently gained control of the seven-acre site and is seeking public input to help shape the reimagining of the depot building and the surrounding grounds. That includes The Roundhouse, a popular events center.

Public input sessions will be Tuesday from 5-7 p.m., and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon. Both sessions will be at The Roundhouse.

There is an online site for the survey at HuntsvilleAL.gov/depot.

Under the guidance of Manager of Urban and Long-Range Planning Dennis Madsen and City Preservationist Katie Stamps, the city will use public input to help shape a master plan for the site.

The three-story depot is the oldest surviving train depot in the state and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Built in 1860, it is the only historically protected structure on the grounds. While the integrity of the depot will remain intact, the building could be repurposed for an array of possibilities.

The 1980s-era Roundhouse, which has been a favorite site for events ranging from weddings to political rallies, could continue in its current iteration or find a different role.

The grassy park that connects the depot building and the Roundhouse serves as a link in the city’s greenway chain, connecting Gateway Greenway and the Huntsville Madison County Veterans Memorial to Big Spring Park via a four-block bike path on Spragins Street.

“We want to hear from the community about what you want to see on this site,” Battle said. “There are so many things that can be done here.”