Reviewed by: Michael Seale
THEN AND NOW: Von Braun Downtown
Reading time: 6 minutes
Wernher von Braun is one of Huntsville’s most influential citizens, both in terms of what he’s done for the city and his impact on the world.
During the 50s and 60s as the space race was in full force, von Braun called Huntsville home and would hold press conferences and events outside of the Madison County Courthouse and join in on parades through the square.
NASA has an archive of every published piece of media they have released that is public domain and viewable by anyone online. In that archive are several pictures of von Braun around Huntsville.
I picked five photos from the archive of von Braun around the main square downtown and tried to recreate them as best I could then and now:
Then and Now
“Apollo 11 splashdown celebration in Huntsville, Alabama, on July 24, 1969. Huntsville Alabama is the home of the Marshall Space Flight Center which developed the Saturn vehicles under the direction of Dr. von Braun. The photo shows Dr. von Braun speaking to the crowd at the Madison County Courthouse as Mayor Joe Davis, Madison County Commissioner James Record and City Council President Ken Johnson look on.” (NASA 1969-07-24)
I have heard stories that the square around the courthouse downtown was the site of dancing in the streets after man landed on the moon. The original photo shows the culmination of over a decade of work when astronauts safely returned from their lunar journey and von Braun addressed the world.
The steps in these photos presented a bit of difficulty when I was trying to distinguish them from all of the other sets of steps around the courthouse. The original photo is looking up at von Braun from a fairly low angle, and the crowd standing around him meant that there had to be a large set of steps in front of and behind him. The only spot around the courthouse that could have accommodated this was the one facing southwest across from Big Spring Park. It also helped that this is the same set of stairs from the fourth photo I recreated which you can see further down.
“Dr. von Braun addresses a crowd celebrating in front of the Madison County Alabama Courthouse following the successful launch of Astronaut Alan Shepard (America’s first astronaut in space) into space on a Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle, Freedom 7. Shepard’s Mercury Spacecraft, was launched from Cape Canaveral. He reached a speed of 5200 mph. His flight lasted 15 1/2 minutes.” (NASA 1961-05-05) (Photo: Courtesy of Huntsville/Madison County Public Library)
This photo was the only one that was impossible to recreate.
The original courthouse that sat in the main square (pictured above) was built in 1914 and then replaced in the 60s. With the notoriety and growth that Huntsville was experiencing, city officials wanted a courthouse that fit the new moniker of “Rocket City”, so the old courthouse was demolished and a modern and stylistic one was constructed and opened in 1967.
To ‘recreate’ this photo I used an old aerial photograph from the 50s of the square (found here in an article about Huntsville’s previous courthouses) to establish that the old courthouse faced southeast, towards Harrison Brother Hardware and what is now Sam and Gregs.
“Dr. von Braun and his son were driven around the Courthouse Square during the Apollo 11 celebration at Huntsville, Alabama, on July 24, 1969. The city of Huntsville is the home the Marshall Space Flight Center which developed the Saturn vehicles under the direction of Dr. von Braun.” (NASA 1969-07-24)
As part of the celebration and press conference seen in the first picture, von Braun was paraded around the square surrounding the Madison County Courthouse. This photo is actually right in front of the steps that the press conference took place on (as well as the one below).
“Prior to MSFC (Marshall Space Flight Center) Director, Dr. von Braun’s transfer to NASA Headquarters where he had been appointed Deputy Associate Administrator for Planning, he was honored during a series of events recognizing his contribution to the space effort during his career in Huntsville, Alabama. In this photo at the Madison County Courthouse, Dr. von Braun is shown seated next to his wife, Maria, as U.S. Senator John Sparkman comments on his career in Huntsville, Alabama, where he worked for both the Army and NASA (National Aeronautic Space Administration).” (NASA 1970-02-24)
We’ve once again returned to the steps of the courthouse, this picture is the one that helped me establish the exact set they used for their press conferences. There are two sets of stairs that could have been used at the courthouse, but this is the only one with 10 steps behind where von Braun was standing, the exact number shown in the original photo.
“Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director of the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency’s (ABMA) Development Operations Division, rides with his two daughters, Margrit and Iris, in a parade in downtown Huntsville, Alabama, March 4, 1959. Although the official occasion had been plarned a “Moon Day” weeks before, it was the successful launch of the sun probe Pioneer IV two days previously that increased the celebratory atmosphere.” (NASA 1959-03-04)
During the space race, to increase morale around Huntsville and show off the progress happening on the Arsenal, there would occasionally be ‘rocket parades’ where they would roll new engineering feats and those who helped create them through the streets of downtown Huntsville.
This final photo was also a little difficult to establish, as many of the old buildings around town have changed hands and aesthetics over the years. Luckily the windows are often left unchanged and the only building with windows matching the original photo’s McLellan’s can be found (also on the main square) at the corner of Washington Street and Randolf Avenue.
More Then and Now?
If you liked these then and now photo recreations of old Huntsville photographs I’ve made several others you might be interested in:
- Then and Now: Downtown Huntsville
- Then and Now: Lowe Mill in the 90s
- Then and Now: The former city hall in the 1960’s
Want more from Hville Blast? Follow us on Instagram!
Want to keep up with all the good news happening around Huntsville? Follow Hville Blast on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.
