Campus No. 805 Earns “This Place Matters” Award
Published on May 4, 2017
Mayor Tommy Battle presented Campus No. 805 with a “This Place Matters” award for its creative adaptive reuse of an old school building on Clinton Avenue in West Huntsville. The award is the second of four awards Mayor Battle will present in May as part of Huntsville Preservation Month. See Preservation Proclamation
“This project has preserved the heritage of two schools on site – Butler High and Stone Middle – and it has fueled a transformation of the West Huntsville neighborhood,” said Mayor Battle. “Reinvestment in our core is smart business. It’s good for the environment, saves costs on new infrastructure and promotes economic development. But, it also preserves our sense of place. Here at Campus No. 805, This Place Matters.”
Campus No. 805 is home to two craft breweries, the Stone Event Center, retail shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The project’s developer, Randy Schrimsher, attributes the success to the entrepreneurial spirit of his tenants and the support of the community.
“There were two craft breweries looking for new sites, and before we knew it, we were building an entertainment campus,” said Schrimsher. “We’ve continued to add new retailers and restaurants, and Yellowhammer is already having to expand – doubling its initial space. Campus No. 805 has exceeded all of our expectations.”
Calling it a Cinderella story for this West Huntsville neighborhood, the City’s historic preservationist, Jessica White, believes there are many more transformations yet to be seen in Huntsville. “A mix of old and new buildings is what gives us a sense of identity, history and authenticity,” she said. “We don’t want to be like every other place. Retaining what we love while making strategic improvements helps us meld the past with our future.”
Preservation Month Activities
- To celebrate Huntsville’s historic places and older buildings during Preservation Month, the City is leading a number of activities to recognize places that matter. City Council members will recognize re-urbanism projects in their districts by presenting the owners with “This Place Matters” decals to place on their buildings.
- The public is encouraged to participate by snapping a photo of their favorite historic building and posting it to their social media platform with the hashtag #ThisPlaceMattersHsv.
- On May 16, the City will host a panel discussion at Campus No. 805 entitled “Preservation & Placemaking: How celebrating our history enhances our future.” Cheryl Morgan, Emerita Professor of Architecture in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture of Auburn University, will give a talk, titled, “Place Matters.” Morgan’s presentation will be followed up by a panel, moderated by Historic Huntsville Foundation Executive Director Donna Castellano with a panel to include Ms. Morgan, Downtown Huntsville, Inc. President and CEO Chad Emerson, City of Huntsville Urban and Long Range Planner Dennis Madsen and Vice President of Tourism Jennifer Moore from the Huntsville-Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau. The event will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. in the A/V Room in the Stone Event Center. Sign up to attend the event here.
Pictured above: (L-R) District 4 Council Member Bill Kling, Historic Preservationist Jessica White, Mayor Tommy Battle, Randy Schrimsher.
