Preserving Huntsville’s history: City outreach aims to educate historic district residents

Published on December 1, 2021

Huntsville’s four designated historic districts are home to some of the state’s oldest dwellings, and the Huntsville Historic Preservation Commission’s (HHPC) mission is to ensure they are preserved for future generations.

To educate current and future historic district residents, the Commission recently produced a brochure with information about the districts, HHPC’s mission and process for making changes to a historic home. Preservation Planner Katie Stamps said the brochure, which is available in print and online, addresses many common questions from new, existing and prospective homeowners.

“We are very excited to be able to offer this educational brochure to our community,” she said. “We hope this is a helpful tool, even for people who have lived in the district a while. We really appreciate our district residents and all they do to preserve our historic properties.”

The brochure helps explain the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) process, which is required when a homeowner seeks to make exterior changes to a historic property. It also addresses the Expedited Staff Review (ESR), which can be requested by a homeowner for non-design items like synthetic siding removal and window alterations.

“The audience for this information is primarily prospective homebuyers and new homeowners,” Stamps said. “We’ve made copies available to the Huntsville Area Association of Realtors and can make copies available to district boards if they’re interested in sharing them with their residents.”

For more information, visit the HHPC website.