Times Building (Huntsville, Alabama) Explained

Times Building
Alternate Names:Huntsville Daily Times Building
Huntsville Times Building
Building Type:Commercial office building; educational institution
Architectural Style:Art Deco
Address:228 East Holmes Avenue
Location Town:Huntsville, Alabama
Location Country:United States
Coordinates:34.733°N -86.5852°W
Opened Date:December 1928[1]
Height:125 feet[2]
Floor Count:12
Floor Area:34000square feet[3]
Elevator Count:2
Architecture Firm:R.H. Hunt Co.[4]
Parking:Street
Embed:yes
Times Building
Built:1926–28
Architect:R.H. Hunt Company
Added:September 22, 1980
Refnum:80000726

The Times Building is one of the oldest and tallest buildings in Huntsville, Alabama, United States. Standing at, the twelve story skyscraper opened in December 1928 as the headquarters for The Huntsville Times. The building, which is primarily used for office space, is located at the intersection of Holmes Avenue and Greene Street on the north side of Downtown Huntsville. In 1980, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Tenants

J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College moved into the basement level of the building in January 2010 with seven classrooms (including two large computer labs) covering .[5]

History

Originally the building was only to have eleven floors, but a twelfth floor was added during construction when the builder of the Russel Erskine Hotel announced that it would have twelve floors.[6] As a result of the extra floor being added during construction, the elevators do not reach the top floor.

The Huntsville Times occupied the building from the building's opening in 1928 until 1956 when it relocated to a new facility on Memorial Parkway.

From the 1970s until forced to relocate in the late 1980s, the building was home to two public radio stations, WLRH (in the basement) and the commercial radio station WAHR (which billed itself as broadcasting from "The Top of the Times").

Notes and References

  1. News: Marshall. Mike. The Huntsville Times to celebrate its 100th birthday this year. 21 February 2012. The Huntsville Times. 10 January 2010.
  2. Web site: Huntsville Times Building, Huntsville. Skyscraper Page. 21 February 2012.
  3. Web site: Office For Lease in Huntsville AL The Times Building. Commercial Property Directory. 22 February 2012. https://archive.today/20130120031539/http://www.commercialpropertydirectory.com/alabama/huntsville/property/9806.html. January 20, 2013.
  4. Web site: ALABAMA (AL), Madison County. National Register of Historical Places. 22 February 2012.
  5. News: Roop. Lee. Drake Tech ready to begin new phase as downtown school. 21 February 2012. The Huntsville Times. 24 November 2009.
  6. Web site: Times Building - Buildings. https://archive.today/20130409035350/http://www.emporis.com/building/times-building-huntsville-al-usa. dead. April 9, 2013. Emporis. 22 February 2012.