
The house, in its beauty and history, has inspired many, including one of James Reeves friends, Dr. Arthur Smith. According to The Historic Huntsville Quarterly of Local Architecture and Preservation, Dr. Smith, a physicist at Oxford University, lived at Kildare while working as a NASA contractor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Apparently he was so taken by the home that he wrote a book about it, entitled, The Lives, & Times o f the McCormick Mansion, A Celebration o f the Warmth, Charm, Hospitality & History o f Southern Folks in Rocket City, Alabama. For over one hundred years, the Kildare mansion has inspired with its history, elegance, and architecture. It has even inspired paranormal enthusiasts, as it has been rumored to be haunted. Though, there is obviously no proof to support those claims.
Fast forward to today. The Kildare home and its current owners, who bought the home back in 2007 hoping to turn it into an event space for the community, are sadly and continuously vandalized and tormented by trespassers, the bulk of which are college students. In an attempt to put the vandalism to rest, the owners began building a giant wooden fence around the home. The city of Huntsville stopped them from doing so, as they believed the fence to be unappealing and unwelcoming. Because the harassment continues, affecting not only the Kildare home but the surrounding homes and families within the same neighborhood, the owners are considering tearing down the home.
This, of course, is saddening to many, as the home has proved to be inspiring in its unique architecture and lush history. As of now, the house still stands and much of the Huntsville community are fighting to keep the home in one piece. The beautiful, historic three-story mansion houses many stories and continues to inspire people with its beauty. Here’s hoping that much like the Jemison Van de Graaff mansion and The Victoria, the Kildare-McCormick House will not wither, but blossom—embracing its history, restoring its reputation, and staying a lovely part of the community.
References
http://www.historichuntsville.org/hhq-vol-xxviii-no-2-3---summer-fall-2002
http://kildaremansion.com/

Colorado Springs, Colorado
Taylor Zimmerman is a senior at the University of Alabama, majoring in English and minoring in Creative Writing. She has a penchant for all things historic and mysterious; thus, she feels she was born in the wrong era. Daydreaming, storytelling, and Netflix-binge-watching are some of her favorite things to do.