Washington Street with in the night
Pittman Reese, Fall 2024
Downtown Huntsville is a very packed and busy place. It has been for many years, including the 1950s. One street in specific is Washington Street. There were many buildings that lined the roads, making up shops and other businesses. This can be found when looking at the map provided by huntsvillehistorycollection.org. Their maps provide a lot of information about Huntsville and its past. The post card, “Washington Street at Night, Looking South” is a beautiful composition of a picture and credentials.
There is no date on said post card, however because of the buildings and the car in the photo can be determined that is somewhere around the 1950s. This is a great time period to find information because it allows for really great information on the building of downtown Huntsville and the change the city undertook. Ever since downtown Huntsville was constructed there has been a bustling of merchants and businesses trying to secure a spot. Washington street had a lot of activity especially in the late 1800s and early 1900s. A few examples of shops over the years: jewelry store, wool and hide shop, and a very popular theater. (book) Despite the neatness of these buildings a large majority were torn down and turned into commercial use. When looking downtown there was always a constant flow of people because of how attractive the excitement was and the huge variety of possible goods. The real boom began right as the 1900s rolled around, making it a more robust street, along with all of downtown. Along with the booming with the growth of the city, a lot of civil rights were fought for here. Huntsville was one of the few cities in Alabama that sided with desegregation. Although there is some information about a majority of decisions based on money from the government, nevertheless people still fought for civil rights. On this note not everything was perfect, and there were times when there was a divide in how Huntsville should act. (Marks and White)
Since there was a lot going on Washington Street, let’s investigate the past of a very interesting building. When looking at the post card, right side, there is a large building with a sign for a hotel outside. This building has a very rich history, with it being one of Huntsville city halls (Joberta Wasson). This building was commissioned in 1889 and handled by the aldermen (Historic Huntsville Foundation). This building also contained a fire house with in it. However, no long after the building was torn down and mad into a hotel, opening in 1915. This was the Twickenham Hotel, run by Mr. Quincy Love. It was a very successful hotel until his death, which lead to the decline of the business. It was used for a senior home after its closing but was soon demolished to create the parkin garage that is there today (Joberta Wasson). This building is just one of many that line the streets of Washington, with many more having just as important histories.
Bibliography
Henry S. Marks and Richard A. White, “Huntsville Historic View” vol 44, number 2
“Washington Street at Night, Looking South,” UAH Archives, Special Collections, and Digital Initiatives, accessed September 16, 2024
John F. Kvach, Charity Ethridge, Michelle Hopkins, and Susanna Leberman, “Image of America Huntsville”
Huntsville History Collection “Downtown Map”
Historic Huntsville Foundation, “The Historic Huntsville Quarterly of Local Architecture and Preservation” volume 6, number 2
Joberta Wasson, “Huntsville's Old Hotels” volume 10, number 3 special combined issue.
Pittman Reese, "Washinton Street with in the Night" picture
Acknowledgements
To my parents for pushing me to do my best, and my professors for helping me along the way.