Metal cladding is perfect choice for revitalized stove manufacturing facility
A building that started life as a stove factory in the early 1900s might be an unlikely draw for a new entertainment district, but that’s just what the Stovehouse has become in Huntsville, Ala. This mixed-use development includes restaurants, bars, concert venues and office space, with a vibe that’s a blend of old-school honky-tonk and modern-day design. Metal wall and roof panels fit right into this freewheeling approach, with a look that’s both industrial and contemporary at the same time.
Originally home to the Martin Stove Factory, the structure was expanded to meet the needs of other owners – including a munitions manufacturer, at one point – over many decades, eventually growing into a 200,000-sq.-ft. complex by the 1970s. It remained vacant as the surrounding neighborhood near downtown Huntsville evolved into an arts and craft-brewing district. Developer Danny Yancey turned to Nashville-based Centric Architecture to convert the aging hulk of a structure into a new community gathering space.
Centric’s designers chose four profiles of metal panels from Petersen’s PAC-CLAD lineup for the project. These include 11,237 sq. ft. of HWP panels and 880 sq. ft. of Flush panels, both in a Silver finish, plus 8,476 sq. ft. of Highline S-1 and C-1 panels in the company’s Graphite finish. All are fabricated from 24-gauge steel. The panels blend well with vintage touches, like the rust spots left artfully in place on some of the factory’s old steel supports that provide visual cues to the building’s long history. Huntsville-based Ultimate Roofing led the installation effort.
The Stovehouse’s hip styling recently proved its appeal reaches beyond dining and entertainment. Leading international consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton has signed a lease for 6,000 sq. ft. for a new Innovation Center at the facility. In some ways, this represents a 21st century return to the building’s industrial roots, as Booz Allen Hamilton will be using part of its new space for today’s latest 3D printing and additive manufacturing technologies.
