“Architecture and landscape design…can give a community clarity, coherence, and order, as well as beauty and delight, and can help define a community’s identity and values. We can celebrate places that nurture our living together.”
Author Alice Meriwether Bowsher, Community in Alabama
“Good design, smart planning, creative place-making are all pillars of progressive growth that occurs as part of creative problem solving, taking advantage of opportunities and having an elevated vision for the present and future.”
Al Head, retired Executive Director of the Alabama State Council on the Arts and Alabama Native
Discovering the best Alabama has to offer takes time, effort and a bit of luck. Word-of-mouth or coming across a magazine article will provide information, but chances are you’ll never be aware of everything to see and do that’s great in the state. With DesignAlabama’s ConnectLivity, all the work is done. A 12-pack of destination itineraries with maps is available or one can select a coffee table book with all 12 itineraries plus information about each destination. Each itinerary has a different theme such as arts, architecture, crafts, Civil Rights and family fun, and each contains helpful tips. All you need to hit the road and experience Alabama to the fullest.
Photo Credit: Copperwing Design
An issue of GQ magazine features a photo of actor Benedict Cumberbatch in a moss green corduroy shirt. The actor never looked better. The shirt was created by Florence-based fashion designer Billy Reid, one of only four designers to have won three or more CFDA Awards. Reid brings a regional sensibility to his brand that W magazine calls “Southern Gentleman sartorialism.” Headquarters is an old building in downtown Florence. Along with designing clothes, Reid hosts an annual event called Shindig, “a multicultural weekend of fashion, art, food, music & friends” held at locations throughout Alabama including Muscle Shoals. For Reid, music, place and fashion are inseparable.
Photo Credit: Billy Reid
Indigo dye is an organic compound that creates some of the most beautiful shades of blue – colors that make chemical dyes pale in comparison. At Idyllwilde – a design company and workshop studio based in Florence – indigo and other plant-based dyes and natural fiber textiles are used to create clothing, accessories and home provisions. Clothing is cut and sewn in small batches and many are made to order. Founder Nadene Mairesse also offers workshops on using plant-based dyes, plant-based printing and denim repair.
Photo Credit: cosmopolitan-corn-bread.com
For three generations the Yeager family has been doing their part to keep Alabama’s cotton industry alive, growing cotton in the rich, red soil at the foot of the Bankhead National Forest. They harvest their fine homegrown cotton and turn it into bed sheets, pillow covers, bath towels and other high-quality home linens. Farm-to-home produced products also include other items for the bed, bath and kitchen. Their heirloom-inspired bed lines are recreations of those made and enjoyed nearly a century ago.
Photo Credit: Red Land Cotton
Though Silicon Valley may be the epicenter of tech companies today, one of the earliest developers of hardware and software got its start in Huntsville. Intergraph Corporation was founded in 1969 by former IBM employees who worked with NASA and the Army to develop systems to apply digital computing to missile guidance. By 2000, Intergraph was focusing exclusively on software and by 2008 was one of the world’s largest software companies. The company was acquired in 2010 by Hexagon AB, a global technology group based in Sweden.
Photo Credit: Intergraph
Alabama was not yet a state when the Leroy Pope Mansion in Huntsville was built in 1814. The oldest documented mansion in Alabama, it was built for Pope, who was part of Huntsville’s early development. Architect George Steele is credited with the design, which includes a Classical-Revival portico with Federal-style ornamentation. Construction materials were brought from Tennessee on flatboats and transported to the site by wagons. Pope hosted a public dinner on the lawn for General Andrew Jackson, who was passing through on return from the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. The house is owned by descendants and leased to the University of Alabama in Huntsville as its president’s house.
Photo Credit: Lewis Kennedy
Whether traditional or modern, the best designed sacred spaces evoke emotion, as does First Baptist Church in Huntsville. Built in the 1960s, the architectural design of the sanctuary presents several theological affirmations. This is reflected in the unusual shape of the building, expanding outward from the pulpit to the outer doors, and the seven arches of the roof. A focal point is the majestic mosaic of Christ created by a Fort Worth stained glass studio that took seven years to complete. The steeple is a Huntsville landmark and part of the skyline. A 48-bell carillon is housed in a free-standing tower.
Photo Credit: Daniel Cathen
Talk about adaptive reuse. Decatur’s Princess Theatre was originally built in 1887 as a livery stable. In 1919, the theater became a silent film and vaudeville playhouse. Art Deco flourishes were added later when it became a movie house. A local architect painted the interior in burgundy and gray with glow-in-the-dark murals. Outside the doors, the terrazzo floor is paved in a map of Alabama. The building was renovated after it was purchased by the city of Decatur and became the Princess Theatre Center for the Performing Arts, a popular performing arts venue.
Photo Credit: Princess Theater
Though best known for its musical legacy, Florence is becoming renowned for its other cultural resources. Southern Living magazine says Florence “oozes creativity, from hometown heroes W.C. Handy (the father of blues) and legendary record producer Sam Phillips to contemporary designers Billy Reid and Natalie Chanin.” Founded in 1818, the college town is revitalizing its downtown area centered on Court Street. The National Register of Historic Places district has many structures built from 1880 to 1920, mainly Revival and Victorian style buildings with bracketed cornices and decorative brickwork.
Photo Credit: Main Street Alabama
Vintage architectural treasures – Edison bulbs, ceiling fans and decorative tile to fireplace mantels, ironwork and antique doors and windows – can be found at Southern Architectural in Cullman. In 1969, Garlan Gudger began salvaging architectural remnants from Cullman buildings set for demolition. Objects were stored in his two-car garage, then a small shop which grew into Southern Architectural where rescued architectural salvage is restored. Southern Accents is now owned and operated by his son Garland Gudger Jr. and his wife Heather. Gudger Sr. was ahead of his time. Back in 1969, not as many people appreciated architectural salvage as they do today.
Photo Credit: Alabama Retail Association
Founded by Rachel Lackey as the first community print shop in Alabama, Green Pea Press offers memberships, workshops, demonstrations and field trips, custom printing services, on-site event printing, and sells wholesale and retail items. Its studios and retail shop are located in Huntsville and occupy a building considered to be the nation’s largest independent arts center. One studio provides artists with access to equipment in fine art print media. Another studio, The Pea Pod, offers hand-printed items for sale made in-house by Green Pea Press. Custom screen printing production and workshops take place at a nearby second location.
Photo Credit: Alabama News Center
With her commitment to preserving design and living arts traditions, it’s no surprise that fashion brand founder Natalie Chanin is called a “slow design pioneer.” Clothing is made of 100 percent organic cotton fabric and reclaimed materials. Garments adorned with exquisite needlework inherent to rural communities are sold at Barney’s and other urbane, upscale stores. The Factory in Florence is home to Alabama Chanin’s flagship store and café, design and production studios, and event space. Her School of Making brings initiatives and educational programs to communities.
Photo Credit: alabamachanin.com
The largest limestone spring in North Alabama is Big Spring, located at Big Spring Park in downtown Huntsville that once served as Huntsville’s original water source. Today, the park might be better known for displaying gifts to the city from faraway countries: a light beacon and fog bell from Norway, a red bridge and cherry trees from Japan, a bench from the United Kingdom and a sundial from Germany. The park is also popular for its abundance of ducks and geese. Construction on the park began in 1898 and it is the site of many festivals and events each year.
Photo Credit: Internet
“Everyone in his own way is affected by his environment. The chords that are struck in people are not necessarily the ones which the architect anticipates. It seems to me the better the building, the more variety of chords that are struck.”
Paul Rudolph, Architect of the Tuskegee Chapel
The federally owned Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was created in 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing and economic development to the Tennessee Valley. It would also strengthen economic development and modernize its areas of service, which includes most of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky, and small sections of Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. TVA’s service area in Alabama covers about 8,979 square miles, about 10 percent of TVA’s territory. TVA operates two solar facilities in Alabama – a 23-kilowatt site at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens and a 25-kilowatt site at the Florence wastewater treatment facility. In 2017, TVA sold over 17.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to 17 municipal and eight cooperatively owned utilities that distribute TVA power in Alabama.
Photo Credit: Tennessee Valley Authority
Sounds like something out of Dickens. Twickenham Historic District gets points not only for its charming name, but also its impressive collection of antebellum homes. Huntsville’s first designated historic district was named after the town of Twickenham, England by LeRoy Pope, known as the “father of Huntsville.” The district contains homes in the Federal and Greek-Revival architectural styles and is believed to contain the densest concentration of antebellum homes in Alabama. Built in 1819, the district’s Weeden House Museum is open to the public as are other houses in the district.
Photo Credit: Hunstville Historic Preservation Committee
Community-led revitalization is challenging work and Main Street Alabama makes it easier by offering towns the resources, technical services and educational offerings to help navigate downtown and commercial district management. Main Street Alabama was incorporated in 2010 and before that time the Alabama Historical Commission served as the state Main Street coordinating program, providing guidance, support, services and certification to communities. Main Street Alabama follows the nationwide Main Street model that has been successful in many states by using its proven method of leveraging local assets to create sustainable and comprehensive revitalization plans.
Photo credit: Main Street Alabama
Alabama is fortunate to have many organizations working to improve the quality of life in communities. Alabama Communities of Excellence (ACE) is one of these organizations. Founded in 2002, the nonprofit ACE partners with the private and public sectors as well as universities to help communities with a population of 2,000-18,000 achieve their goals in three phases. Phase 1 is assessment; Phase 2 involves leadership development and strategic planning; and Phase 3 implementation and comprehensive planning. After completion, communities get an ACE designation and are recognized by the Alabama League of Municipalities.
Photo credit: Alabama Communities of Excellence
Fort Payne was once the Sock Capital of the World and Gina Locklear is keeping its claim-to-fame alive with Zkano and Little River Sock Company, her two lines of high-end socks. Locklear started the company in 2009 to design and manufacture socks using certified organic cotton and sustainable practices at Emi-G Knitting, her parent’s sock company that is one of the few mills still operating in Fort Payne. All phases of production are in-house from knitting to finishing without the use of harmful heavy metal dyes. Locklear says the company has “no plans to ever leave Fort Payne.”
Photo credit: AL.com
Among the most cherished crafts are those that are both beautiful and functional such as the brooms made by George Jones Jr. in Florence. A fourth-generation broom-maker, Jones uses some of the same equipment and techniques as his grandfather nearly a century ago. Jones makes broom handles from dogwood, oak and other native woods found on the family farm. His brooms are available at regional art shows and the gift shops of the Kentuck Art Center in Northport and the American Folk Art Museum in New York City.
Photo credit: AL News Center
“I love every nook and cranny of the building, and during the restoration I was here every single day in a hard hat with the contractors,” recalls the Alabama native. “I could envision what it could be. I didn’t want to break land and create something new. I wanted old bones.”
Heidi Elnora, fashion designer and Alabama Native
Sandwiched by Huntsville to the east and Decatur to the west, Mooresville is a picture-perfect little town and one of Alabama’s smallest, comprising just six streets with a population barely over 50. It’s also one of the oldest, being the first town incorporated by the Alabama Territorial Legislature in 1818. The Stagecoach Inn and Tavern, where town council meetings are still held, was built in 1825 and served as the first post office until the current post office was constructed about 1840, making it the oldest post office in continuous use in Alabama. The entire town of Mooresville – known as “Alabama’s Williamsburg” – is on the National Register.
Photo credit: Art Meripol
A great place for a spelunking adventure is Russell Cave National Monument near Bridgeport. At 7.5 miles, Russell Cave is the third longest cave in Alabama and was used as a shelter for prehistoric inhabitants. Along with Russell Cave, there are more than 1,500 caves which have been explored in Jackson County – more caves per square mile than anywhere else in America. Access to Russell Cave is limited to its geologically unusual cave entrance. In this flat protected space, artifacts have been found dating back to some of the earliest human existence in North America.
Photo credit: Alabama Historical Commission
Courthouse Square has long been a significant part of Huntsville’s commercial core with a two-story brick courthouse completed in 1818, the year before Alabama’s statehood. Its Greek-Revival proportions were introduced by Virginia architect George Steele who planned the courthouse and drew up the specifications. Today, its modern counterpart is on the same site and courthouse square remains the center of municipal affairs. Steele also designed the second courthouse, demolished before 1914, along with the First Alabama Bank Building, which he completed in 1840 and is still in use.
Photo credit: Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood
Just east of Natchez Trace Parkway outside Florence is one man’s heartrending tribute to his great-great grandmother, a Yuchi Indian who lived in the area during the 1800s. Tom Hendrix, who died in 2017 at the age of 83, built Tom’s Wall, said to be the largest un-mortared wall in the United States, constructed of stones from over 120 countries. As a young girl, Hendrix’s great-great grandmother was forced to walk to Oklahoma. A year later she escaped and spent five years walking back to her beloved Alabama. Tom’s Wall – land art expressing a tangible symbol of human perseverance – is open daily.
Photo credit: Florence Lauderdale Tourism
Architecture critic Peter Blake wrote in 1960 that during the 1930s Frank Lloyd Wright built four structures of “a beauty unexcelled in America before or since.” One is the Rosenbaum House in Florence, the state’s only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building. In 1939, newlyweds Mildred and Stanley Rosenbaum contacted Wright to build their home. The L-shaped house made largely of cypress wood and brick has multilevel low-rising steel-cantilevered roofs. The original floor plan provided 1,540 square feet of living space, and a 1948 extension added another 1,084 square feet. The city operates the house as a museum, which displays original Wright-designed furniture.
Photo credit: Lewis Kennedy
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cullman is proof that a modern house of worship can be as spiritually uplifting as a more traditional Gothic or Romanesque design. Constructed during 1969-1970, the church was designed by architect Robert H. Adams of Charles H. McCauley Associates. The powerfully simple, symmetrical design has dramatic curving roof lines flanking the towering stained-glass window and cross. The roof sits on supporting walls of rubble-style stone. Enhancing the symmetry are stone planters on either side of the entry. Inside, the massive beams follow the outer form of the roof and are reminiscent of a ship, evoking Noah’s Ark.
Photo credit: Lewis Kennedy
In 1818, the White House officially reopened after being burned down four years earlier by the British. That same year Athens was founded, one of Alabama’s oldest towns whose past is centered in its Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District. Most buildings date from the early 20th century, a result of the Civil War and major fires that destroyed earlier buildings. Notable buildings include the Limestone County Courthouse, now a courthouse annex, built in 1919 in neoclassical style with Palladian influences. The neoclassical Old Post Office building was built in 1933 by the Works Progress Administration and features Doric columns, granite cast iron lamps and marble floors.
Photo credit: Main Street Alabama
The adjective “stately” is often used, and even overused, to describe buildings of substance. Yet it’s an apt description of Founders Hall on the Athens State University campus. Built during 1842-1844, the Greek Revival-style building is distinguished by a spacious recessed portico with monumental iconic columns and flanking piers. Additions over the years have tripled the dimensions of the original building, which included adding a third floor. Founders Hall was built by the Tennessee Conference of the Methodist Church on five acres of donated land and houses the university president’s office.
Photo credit: Lewis Kennedy
Communities across Alabama are thriving thanks to the ongoing efforts of DesignAlabama. Incorporated in 1987, the Montgomery-based nonprofit organization unites design professionals and citizens to create master plans for community development and downtown revitalization, along with supporting other organizations with similar goals. Programs include: Alabama Mayor’s Design Summit that brings together mayors to address their community design issues; DesignPlace in which professionals visit selected communities to offer assistance with design, planning and community identity; and Connectivity that provides itineraries for discovering Alabama’s people and places. Gina Clifford serves as executive director.
Photo credit: DesignAlabama
Sarah Conklin, founder of Feather Wild in Huntsville, starts the process of making her textiles with free-hand drawings inspired by river rocks and other patterns found in nature or in books. She then transfers these original drawings to small quantities of natural and upcycled (creatively reused) fabrics. Some fabrics are hand-dyed, by hand-printing them with water-based ink at Green Pea Press where she teaches printing and is a founding member. Conklin cuts and sews the fabric into items that are beautiful and made to last, such as pouches, pin cushions and scarves, along with one-of-kind wall hangings.
Photo credit: Feather Wild
On 26 acres along Little River Canyon National Preserve in Fort Payne is Orbix Hot Glass, where owner Cal Breed leads a team of glassblowers who hand-craft each piece with attention to form, balance and richly saturated, jewel-like colors. Founded in 2002 by Cal and his wife Christy, the glass art studio and gallery business has made a name for itself with its refined handmade glassware that includes wall art, pitchers, wine carafes, tree ornaments and other items such as those in Auburn University orange and blue. Visitors are welcome to watch the glassmaking process.
Photo credit: Orbix Hot Glass
On Smith Lake at the southern end of the Bankhead National Forest in Arley is Wood Studio, a family owned custom woodworking design and fabrication business specializing in small and medium scale residential and commercial projects. In their spacious yurt-style studio they craft wood furniture and other objects that are aesthetically pleasing and made to last generations. Randy Cochran operates the sales office in Fort Payne and his sons Keith and Dylan run the shop in Arley. Traditional and modern techniques are used to create functional works of art using hand-selected, sustainably harvested materials.
Photo credit: Brian Francis Photography
Fun fact: A rocket built in Alabama burned more fuel in one second than Lindbergh used to cross the Atlantic. It was the powerful Saturn V, a multistage liquid-fuel expendable rocket used by NASA’s Apollo program in the 1960s and 1970s. The largest production model of the Saturn family of rockets, the Saturn V was designed under the direction of Wernher von Braun at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. The Saturn V had 13 missions, the first 12 for the Apollo program and the 13th launching a Skylab space station into orbit. Two Saturn V rockets are on display at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville.
Photo credit: Chris Granger
Pennsylvania is the state with the most covered bridges with about 200, yet Alabama boasts the nation’s highest covered bridge over a body of water. It’s the Horton Mill Bridge that stands 70 feet above the Black Warrior River in Oneonta. Built in 1935, Horton Mill is one of three covered bridges in Blount County, making Blount County the Covered Bridge Capital of Alabama. The original bridge was built in 1864 near its present location. The one-lane Horton Mill Bridge is 208 feet long and is open to slow-moving traffic.
Photo credit: Tom Starkey
Neoclassical architecture is associated with many buildings such as the U.S. Capitol and antebellum homes – though with dams, rarely if ever. Wilson Dam on the Tennessee River in Florence is the only neoclassical-style dam in the TVA system, incorporating elements of ancient Roman and Greek architecture into its modern design. Constructed during 1918-1924, the hydroelectric dam is 137 feet high and stretches 4,541 feet across the Tennessee River. With its maximum lift of 100 feet, Wilson’s main lock is the highest single lift lock east of the Rockies. TVA acquired Wilson Dam in 1933. On the site are nature trails and a visitor’s center.
Photo credit: Alabama Historical Commission
What do New York City’s Central Park and the master plan for the University of North Alabama in Florence have in common? Both were designed by the Olmsted Brothers, the renowned landscape design firm who developed the plan in 1929 for UNA. The Olmsted Brothers created a pleasing, pedestrian campus of shaded walkways, manicured gardens, fountains, sculptures and an amphitheatre. The campus core of the state’s oldest public university, founded in 1830, forms a dramatic, northern terminus to historic downtown Florence. The UNA campus is also noted for its many historic buildings.
Photo credit: Jason Fondren/KPS Group
Wandering the streets of the Albany Historic District in Decatur is to discover just about every architectural style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Romanesque Revival, Victorian, Queen Ann, Renaissance Revival and Craftsman, along with a few examples of Art Deco and Streamline Moderne, all represented in this leafy, highly walkable neighborhood. Secondary properties within the National Register district include the Princess Theatre and the circa 1980 Cotaco Opera House, the first opera house constructed in Alabama.
Photo credit: Alabama Historical Commission
Prayer and spiritual devotion come in many forms. For Brother Joseph Zoettl, a Benedictine monk at St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, it came in the form of devoting a half-century (1932-1961) to creating the Ave Maria Grotto – a collection of more than 125 miniature reproductions of notable churches, shrines and other religious structures. Brother Joseph constructed the miniatures with discarded items such as tiles, pipes, marbles, costume jewelry and even toilet bowl floats and cold cream jars. On the National Register and a state landmark, the grotto is built on an old quarry within a landscaped four-acre park.
Photo credit: Lewis Kennedy