Magnolia Terrace + Brothers Heights nominated for National Historic Register

The Huntsville City Council recently approved an agreement with Dr. Caroline Swope, principal of Kingstree Studios, to prepare National Register of Historic Places nominations for the Magnolia Terrace and Brothers Heights/Gurley Additions neighborhoods.

The project is funded through a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant from the Alabama Historical Commission.

Historic Register nominees

Wells Drake House Brothers Heights Photos 6 — Brothers Heights is one of the neighborhoods up for registry with the National Register of Historic Places. (City of Huntsville)

The city’s approval clears the way for the formal listing process, which will build on Huntsville’s recent progress in preserving sites significant to its Black community, including Normal Historic District, Edmonton Heights and Glenwood Cemetery.

With more than 250 combined properties across the neighborhoods, the National Register listings will ensure Magnolia Terrace and Brothers Heights/Gurley Additions are recognized for their cultural contributions and preserved as important chapters in Huntsville’s history.

Swope, who conducted a 2021 survey of the area, identified unique historic contexts for the adjacent but distinct neighborhoods of Magnolia Terrace and Brothers Heights/Gurley Additions, located north of Holmes Avenue and west of Pulaski Pike.

Although the neighborhoods border, they differ in terms of their dates of establishment, architecture and community identity.

The $35,000 project is funded through a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant from the Alabama Historical Commission, which will provide 60% of the cost, with the City of Huntsville covering the remaining 40%.

Several neighborhoods in Huntsville are already part of the National Register of Historic Places, including: