Click image to enlarge. Oak Place is a Greek Revival house that was designed by George Steele in 1840 and later recorded by the Historic American Building Survey in 1934. In 1977 the East Huntsville Baptist Church wanted to tear it down to build a new worship center. Thanks to skillful encouragement by the Historic Huntsville Foundation, the congregation renovated it and performed the necessary steps to list it on the National Register of Historic Places.
The church has been a good steward, using it as an educational and administrative building and for meetings, weddings, and receptions. Unfortunately, they now need to sell the portion of their property that contains Oak Place. Located in an area of modest homes and apartments, this large and imposing house may be difficult to market for residential uses. The current zoning prohibits commercial uses, but the congregation may consider selling the house with protective covenants. That would be a big help for Huntsville’s preservation community, ensuring an encore preservation success.
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