ABOUT MIDCITY

Our Story

With a proud and storied history to guide us, MidCity looks forward to a new history, and a future that knows no bounds. 

Built on land formerly occupied by a regional mall, MidCity District is a carefully and thoroughly planned community built on decades of experience and research into how people congregate, what communities look for in a place, and how venues, buildings, parks and public spaces can be used to support and drive growth.

Aerial view of a large shopping mall with numerous parking lots filled with cars.

1984


Surrounded by farmland, Madison Square Mall is built in “the best and busiest part of town” to the delight of residents and visitors throughout Huntsville and the entire state. Positioned just a stone’s throw from Research Park and Redstone Arsenal, the mall remained a constant hub for commerce and community for nearly 30 years…

A detailed campus map showing buildings, roads, parking lots, green spaces, ponds, and recreational areas, with labels for various zones and pathways.

2015


The now struggling mall is purchased by RCP Companies — over 1,000,000 square feet of now empty and unused retail space — and a master plan comes into focus with the help of Urban Design Associates…

A lively concert scene at The Camp, with a band performing on stage under colorful string lights and a large logo in the background, surrounded by an enthusiastic crowd.

2017


FEBRUARY: the Madison Square Mall is disassembled, and the surrounding acreage is cleared begin the process of creating an exciting, new district in the center of North Alabama.

AUGUST: MidCity opens The Camp, a “y’all come” gathering spot that remains the heartbeat of MidCity to this day.

DECEMBER: MidCity welcomes TopGolf to its confines, and the rest, they say, is history…

But “they” would be wrong.

We’re just getting started…

A man with gray hair seen from behind, dressed in a dark checked suit, standing in front of a wall with various maps and plans of a development area. He appears to be pointing or writing on a large, detailed map or blueprint of a planned development, which includes buildings, roads, and green spaces. There are also smaller maps and handwritten notes on the wall.

2018


The city of Huntsville launches a “music strategy” to research the potential of creating a thriving music ecosystem, including bringing a one-of-a-kind music venue to MidCity. Enter the Orion Amphitheater.

Meanwhile, The Camp begins to evolve, and MidCity welcomes The Market onsite — a gathering of hundreds of farmers, creators, makers, and more who come together at MidCity to showcase their delectables, designs, concoctions, creations, and more…

Nighttime bird's eye view of an outdoor concert hall filled with a large crowd, surrounded by greenery and cityscape in the background.

2020


The City of Huntsville approves the development of The Orion Amphitheater, “a bold new chapter in our region's unparalleled musical history…”

Nighttime cityscape with fireworks in the sky, crowded parking lots, illuminated buildings, and streets.

2021


Master plan begins to be realized. MidCity quickly becomes an “18-hour-a-day” space, where visitors are able to enjoy sun-up to sun-down entertainment, activities, events, and so much more. The built environment now includes apartments, retail, multi-family units, and opportunities for visitors, residents, businesses, and more to come together and thrive…

Crowd at an outdoor concert at night with a lit stage and theater-style seating.

2022


Orion opens to rave reviews: “Orion Amphitheater is all about exceeding expectations. Which actually makes perfect sense for a town that’s primarily known for sending rockets into outer space.” — Rolling Stone

Click to learn more about our booming community and the culture that keeps folks coming back, over and over again. 

Aerial view of a large shopping mall complex at night with parking lots, green spaces, a lake, and surrounding roads.

2023


MidCity is a community built on a diverse culture of solid relationships and new ideas. This remarkable community is about being a part of something much larger and more meaningful than how far we’ve come. It’s about how far we can go, together.

At the end of the day, that is what we feel called to do: to become our best selves, and welcome others to this remarkable place to do the same. We are a diverse group of kindred spirits with different hopes, goals, and dreams for the future — but we share the common goal of bringing people and spaces together so that we might collectively reach our full potential.

We hope you’ll join us…