ABOUT OUR HISTORY

The Robert "Bob" Harrison Center

Our History

Madison County District 6 Commissioner Robert "Bob" Harrison had a vision for the "graying" community of Northwest Huntsville - a senior wellness center that modeled the Patrick Henry Hays Senior Center in his hometown of North Little Rock, Arkansas. The center would be a place in which seniors in his district (some 20,000 at the time) could have ownership. It would also be a substantial economic investment in the Cedar Point community in northwest Huntsville.

At Commissioner Harrison's instigation, the Madison County Commission borrowed $4 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. District 6 utilized county workers and equipment, adding $2 million in site preparation and road construction. Other funding resources include District 6 allocations, membership fees, and corporate donations.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in April of 2012. The center opened on February 25, 2013. The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on Friday, April 26, 2013. The center campus included a 20,000-square-foot building, a pavilion, a walking trail, and a modular building for storage.

In 2020, the center came under the direction of Commissioner Violet Edwards. Commissioner Edwards enlarged the campus's footprint by purchasing the adjoining 21.53 acres, bringing the total acreage to just under 48 acres. With grants from the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Alabama Department of Transportation, additional parking, outdoor lighting, and sidewalks were constructed to better integrate the center into the community. The modular storage unit was converted into a classroom/meeting space for small gatherings. Signage was erected on Pulaski Pike to better announce the center’s presence and welcome the community.