Big Spring International Park

Huntsville, Alabama

The original Big Spring International Park site spans from the west side of the courthouse square about two blocks southwest and is built around its namesake “Big Spring,” – the original water source the city of Huntsville was built around—with the canal extending to the rest of the park. The park is also home to the Tom Goodman Thrasher Fountain, which features a 100-foot geyser and “dancing water” patterns that cascade in synchronization to music and multi-color lighting.Fagan Creek was re-routed around the potential hotel site via a 4x12x12 box culvert, and the outlet of Big Spring Lake was modified to form the canal between the Von Braun Center, South Hall and the proposed Embassy Suites Hotel. A vehicular bridge was constructed at the Williams and Monroe Street intersection to accommodate pedestrian traffic along the length of the canal without any at-grade pedestrian street crossings. In the final phase of the project, Heart of Huntsville Drive was restructured to include a bridge over Pinhook Creek, lowering the flood plain approximately two feet. In 2005, a 1,500-foot extension of the lagoon and canal system was constructed and almost half a mile of tree-lined sidewalks were added, not only enlarging the park and increasing its green space, but also helping with mitigating flooding in the area.