America 250: Real Estate, Rockets, and Race: The Development of Gurley Heights, Magnolia Terrace, and McThornmor Acres in 1950s Huntsville

The establishment of Redstone Arsenal and its post war transition into a rocket center brought tens of thousands of new residents to Huntsville. The city's population ballooned from 13,000 in 1940 to 80,000 in 1960. Huntsville strained to provide housing and an ambitious series of urban renewal projects combined with new suburban developments rapidly changed the city. Gurley Heights, Magnolia Terrace, and McThornmor Acres subdivisions were platted by white and Black entrepreneurs to help ease housing pressures. Come learn about these three National Register neighborhoods and how they offer a glimpse in to 1950s Huntsville. 

Presented by Caroline Swope, M.S.H.P., Ph.D., Architectural Historian