The scene of the crash was surreal and oddly quiet when I arrived. Paramedics, police and good Samaritans comforting, the injured, shaken up and in shock. Students held cell-phones to their ears calling home…
After reviewing all the information available, it turns out that the current Huntsville City Transportation Bus Station is built immediately on top of the original Huntsville Train Shops that were built around 1860. In fact, it seems highly likely that the digital time and temperature display located in the center of the bus terminal awning, is just about exactly in the center of the original turntable location. The point of impact of the Lee High School Bus, when it fell from the sky like a bomb, is also marked on these maps. Check it out.
Which really just leaves a bunch of unanswered questions. Who owns the property? Is there even any hope of restoring the building? How can the City ignore what has become not just an eyesore, but an extremely dangerous attractive nuisance? (There was a death in the building recently, about 2 years ago, that was investigated as a suicide.) Early Works recently indicated that funding has been received in order to do major renovations to Constitution Hall Park, but no mention of the Historic Huntsville Freight Building was made.
I would like to tell you about all the planning and expensive equipment that went into capturing this shot, well actually two shots, but I really can’t. It was strictly serendipity.
Of course, the passenger train hasn’t stopped at the Huntsville Depot for many years, and
although freight trains still run down this track, little freight is downloaded
here anymore either.
The City of Huntsville recently, quietly, announced plans to build a new office building to be located at the corner of Church Street and Cleveland Avenue, that will house the offices of The Huntsville Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the offices of the City Public Transportation Service.
