Retrofit Atlas

Malls · Alabama

Heart of Huntsville Mall

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedDemolishedHuntsville, AL

Opened 1961. Closed 2007. Redeveloped in 2007.

Status nowDemolishedextracted, unreviewed
What it becamehousing, hotel, office, retailextracted, unreviewed
Retrofit year2007extracted, unreviewed
Walkability16.5 of 20 · 15-minute 6 of 6EPA, OpenStreetMap
Rail within 800 mNo · Opportunity ZoneOpenStreetMap, HUD
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Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from.

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Site profile24 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Former anchors
SearsThis site: Sears wikipedia · all sites with this
Finance and pipeline
On FacebookThis site: …https://www.facebook.com/138380929525232 overture · all sites with this
Website aliveThis site: …http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.html?curid=18563918 overture / http check · all sites with this
Place
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)This site: 6/6 openstreetmap · all sites with this
30,000+ vehicles a day on an adjacent roadThis site: 129,020 on Huntsville Freeway fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
Bike network nearbyThis site: 107 ways openstreetmap · all sites with this
FEMA special flood hazard areaThis site: AE fema-nfhl · all sites with this
Fast-growing county (8%+ 2018–23)This site: 11% census-acs · all sites with this
Grocery within 800 mThis site: 1 stores openstreetmap · all sites with this
High earthquake riskThis site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this
High inland flooding riskThis site: Very High fema-nri · all sites with this
High natural hazard risk (FEMA NRI)This site: Relatively High; tornado, inland flooding, earthquake, strong wind, winter weather, cold wave, lightning fema-nri · all sites with this
High tornado riskThis site: Very High fema-nri · all sites with this
Interstate or freeway within 600 mThis site: Huntsville Freeway fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
Opportunity ZoneThis site: 01089003100 hud-oz · all sites with this
Renter-majority tractThis site: 63% census-acs · all sites with this
Tract income up 60%+ since 2013This site: +186% census-acs · all sites with this
Tract population up 25%+ since 2013This site: +42% census-acs · all sites with this
Walkable block group (EPA ≥ 12)This site: …index 16.5 epa-walkability · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: As of August 2021, only the SpringHill Suites is finished and open for business, but the rest of the development began construction in late 2020. extraction · all sites with this
New use
HotelThis site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with this
HousingThis site: development began construction in late 2020. a seven-story condo/apartment tower with up to 80 residential units. extraction · all sites with this
OfficeThis site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with this
Retail (continued)This site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusDemolishedextracted, unreviewed
StrategyRedevelopedextracted, unreviewed
New useshousing, hotel, office, retailextracted, unreviewed
What is there nowAs of August 2021, only the SpringHill Suites is finished and open for business, but the rest of the development began construction in late 2020.extracted, unreviewed
Retrofit year2007extracted, unreviewed
RedeveloperScott McLainextracted, unreviewed

Planning

Planning notesa seven-story condo/apartment tower with up to 80 residential units.extracted, unreviewed

Site context

FEMA flood zoneAE · special flood hazard areaFEMA NFHL
EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m17: CAMPBELL & MANCE RESOURCES, LLC; CITY CENTRE PHASE III - 20083; CLINTON AVENUE OVER PINHOOK CREEK; CONSTELLATION; DOWNTOWN INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEPA FRS
Census tract 010890031004,811 people, 2,908 per sq mi; median household income $89,297; median gross rent $1,256; 63% renters; 11.4% vacant units; 0.6% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year
Walkability (EPA, block group)index 16.5 of 20; 153 intersections per sq mi; nearest transit stop 518 m; land-use mix 0.71; 48,699 jobs within 45 min by car, 27,601 by transit; 8% of households without a carEPA Smart Location
Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m)6 of 6 daily needs: 1 grocers, 3 schools, 10 parks or playgrounds, 1 health, 4 civic, 5 food and drink; 107 cycleway segments, 169 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap
Opportunity Zoneyes, tract 01089003100 (rural)HUD
Housing permits, Madison County (AL), 20241,186 units in 5+ unit buildings, 46 in 2–4, 3,478 single-family; 2023: 1,938 in 5+Census BPS
Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract)overall percentile 0.55; socioeconomic 0.39; housing and transport 0.90; 23% below 150% of poverty; 19% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR
Other atlas sites nearby1 within 10 km, 1 within 25 km: Madison Square Mall (6.7 km)computed
Overture Mapsplace Heart of Huntsville Mall (shopping_mall, confidence 0.81, from Overture, meta); building footprint 7,455 m²Overture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0)
Website and socialen.wikipedia.org (alive) · social: facebookOverture / Internet Archive
Attention: Wikipedia page views23,230 since 2015; 2,229 in the last 12 months (-1% vs the prior 12); peak 2017-02 with 401Wikimedia
Tract change 2013–2023population +42% (3,396 → 4,811); median income +186% ($31,250 → $89,297); renters 53% → 63%; median home value +66% ($452,200 → $750,000)Census ACS 5-year
Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract)relatively high overall (score 92.7); expected annual loss $3.5M; high: tornado, inland flooding, earthquake, strong wind, winter weather, cold wave, lightning; community resilience relatively highFEMA NRI
Tax-credit housing within 1 km1 LIHTC properties, 90 units: Burgundy Square (90 units)HUD LIHTC
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 28.1%; median family income $122,500; 231 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsHuntsville City School District (PK-12); 3 public schools within 1 mile: Child Count Only; Huntsville High School; Sonnie Hereford Elementary SchoolNCES EDGE
Elevation610 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 20231,334 establishments (+1%); 22,589 jobs (+20%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $311,524 (+1% 1 yr, +14% 5 yr); typical rent $1,378/mo (+2% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
House price index, tract, 2023433 (2000 = 100), +55% 5 yr, +76% 10 yrFHFA
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)129,020 vehicles a day on Huntsville Freeway (freeway or expressway, 8 lanes); 2,580 trucks; 34 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

The mall opened in 1961 and operated as a shopping center until 2007, when it was demolished to make way for a new mixed-use project. Construction began in 2008, with the SpringHill Suites hotel completed by August 2021 while the remaining components started construction in late 2020 and are still under construction.

Why. The record notes competition from the 1984 opening of Madison Square Mall (which drew Sears away) and the 1992 closure of Woolworth’s, indicating anchor losses; the mall was demolished in 2007 to enable redevelopment.

Where it stands. The site is currently under mixed-use redevelopment led by Scott McLain, with the SpringHill Suites hotel finished and the rest of the project under construction.

For a planner

  • Precedent: demolition of the mall for a $150M mixed-use redevelopment (hotel, housing, office, retail).
  • Policy tools: not stated in the record.
  • Open questions: timing and completion of remaining phases, integration of the seven‑story tower with up to 80 units, and any affordability or infrastructure considerations.

For a developer

  • Site control: owned by Scott McLain (listed as owner).
  • Entitlement stage: under construction; SpringHill Suites completed, other components began late 2020.
  • Context constraints: none specified in the record (flood, transit, environment).
  • Market signals: opportunity score 15.0, citing county population growth of 11.1% (2018‑23) and housing demand noted in the record.

What we do not know yet

  • Exact site size and parcel boundaries are not provided.
  • Detailed financing, phasing schedule, and completion dates for the hotel, housing, office, and retail components are missing.
  • Environmental constraints (floodplain, wetlands) and transit access are not described in the record.
  • The verification status is 'draft' and many fields are marked as extraction, indicating potential unreviewed model‑generated data.
  • Current ownership beyond Scott McLain and any joint‑venture partners are not specified.

Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

Similar sites

  • Capital Plaza Mall, Landover Hills, MD · Malls · opened 1963; closed 2005; same strategy: redevelop
  • Eastland Mall, North Versailles, PA · Malls · opened 1963; closed 2007; same strategy: redevelop
  • Harding Mall, Nashville, TN · Malls · opened 1967; closed 2005; same strategy: redevelop
  • Indian Mall, Jonesboro, AR · Malls · opened 1968; closed 2008; same strategy: redevelop

Elsewhere on the web

Pages with photos

Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar

Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • closed or demolished site (sourced)
  • county grew 11.1% 2018–23
  • housing in the record

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Opened1961Wikidata
Closed2007extracted, unreviewed
AnchorsSears
CountyMadison County
Census division6 · East South Central
NotesWikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, original developer. Know it? Tell us.

Background

The Heart of Huntsville Mall was a shopping mall located in Huntsville, Alabama, United States. It opened in 1961. The mall was demolished in 2007 to make way for a new $150 million mixed-use development consisting of an apartment complex called the "Constellation" and other local businesses.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

  1. 1961 Opened (Wikidata)
  2. 1961 Mall opened
  3. 1967 Delta Zeta Arts and Crafts Show began
  4. 1984 Madison Square Mall opened, Sears moved
  5. 1992 Woolworth's closed
  6. 2007 Tenants moved out prior to demolition
  7. 2007 Mall razed
  8. 2008 Site construction began
  9. 2008 Construction on SpringHill Suites began
  10. 2021 SpringHill Suites finished, rest under construction

Sources

  • Wikipedia: Heart of Huntsville Mall · supports: after notes, status, strategy, year closed
    13 quoted sentences
    By September 2007, all of the former Heart of Huntsville Mall was razed to make way for Constellation.
    As of August 2021, only the SpringHill Suites is finished and open for business, but the rest of the development began construction in late 2020.
    By September 2007, all of the former Heart of Huntsville Mall was razed to make way for Constellation.
    In the early 2000s, the owner of the mall, Scott McLain, began plans to redevelop the center.

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