Rennovation and Harry

My dad called on Tuesday and asked if I had been by the civic center (Von Braun Center/VBC) lately. “No,” was my reply. Then he said that I should grab my camera and go downtown to take some photos because the entire front of the arena was torn to pieces.


Now, this may seem odd if you don’t live in Huntsville, but if you do live in Huntsville, then you know that the VBC is getting a makeover. Thanks to the generosity of some folks here in town, both the area and the concert hall are in the process of being renovated. You can go here and take a look at some photos of both the inside and outside construction zones as well as the renderings of what the finished product is supposed to look like.

Since I’ve spent my whole life attending events at the VBC – everything from concerts to plays to sporting events – I figured I’d better take a trip downtown (all of two miles from my home) to document the progress. I mean, after all, how often is it that a major facility in your city gets a makeover?

So, yesterday morning, I packed up my camera before heading in to work and then after work, I drove to the VBC, parked the car and took some photos while freezing my hiney off. Luckily, I was only outside for 11 minutes – per the parking meter. Here are my findings:

This is the first photo I took, which actually has nothing to do with the VBC renovation. This is the Huntsville Museum of Art and as luck would have it, they are also under construction – adding on to the existing building. So, I decided to take this photo as well.

The following photos are of the outside of the arena. The arena was once connected to the longer building to the right, which is where the ticket office is, but not anymore. That part has been torn down as has the stairs leading up to the arena. There are signs all over the place saying Arena Entrance with an arrow, but I haven’t quite figured out exactly where that is. While I was there, a bulldozer was in the process of tearing down some remaining stairs.

These next few are from a different angle.

Of course, being this close to the park, why wouldn’t I take photos of fountains, fish and ducks?

Speaking of the VBC, tonight Tony and I are going to see Harry Connick, Jr. at the under construction concert hall. I went down to the ticket office an hour before the tickets went on sale and was able to get seats on the FRONT ROW! I am so excited! This will be my third time to see Harry live. The first time was in Birmingham when I was in high school and it was just Harry and his piano and I sat way up in the balcony. The last time was when he came to Huntsville a couple of years ago and I went with my mom and we sat in the handicapped section which is about 15 rows or so up from the stage. But this time, I am on the FRONT ROW and I couldn’t be happier about it. I will have to try and refrain myself from crying when Harry walks on stage! Oh how I love him! I’ve loved Harry since I was 15 years old! I guess that makes him my longest love or something like that. Unfortunately no camera are allowed – a bummer if you ask me. But, I’ll give you readers a recap as soon as I can.

I’m heading to Birmingham for the state basketball tournament tomorrow; so, this will probably be my last post of the week. I hope everyone has a great weekend!