In 1975, the city of Huntsville spent $15 million to build the Von Braun Center, originally known as the Von Braun Civic Center. Over the years, the downtown landmark has been the backdrop for countless performances, gatherings and community events.
This year, the VBC celebrates its 50th anniversary — and the venue has undergone an extensive facelift in celebration.
“After five decades of continuous use and routine maintenance, it was time to start giving some areas of the VBC a facelift,” says Samantha Nielsen, director of marketing and public relations. “We are fortunate to be led by a diligent and forward-thinking board of control, as well as a supportive city leader who understands the importance of investing in facility improvements. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle has been very supportive of the center and its enhancements, particularly in recent years.”
The Heartbeat of a Community
Since opening in 1975 with an arena, exhibition hall, playhouse, concert hall and art museum, the VBC has played an important role as the heart of the Huntsville community. Johnny Cash was the first headliner to play the VBC, performing just 10 days after it opened. Elvis Presley performed seven sold-out shows there in 1975 and 1976. And in addition to big-name acts, the VBC has hosted touring Broadway shows, local theater, trade shows and conventions, and many high school and college graduations.
Throughout the past 50 years, “The VBC has cemented itself as North Alabama’s hub,” Nielsen says. “Seeing favorite concerts and touring Broadway shows, watching sporting events, walking across the stage to receive your diploma, performing in your first dance recital and attending your first prom, taking your kids and later your grandkids to see ‘Disney On Ice,’ all of those moments happen at the VBC. Almost everyone in our area has a memory at the VBC. And that’s pretty special.”
Fittingly, the VBC adopted as its 50th anniversary campaign tagline “Your Place Through Time.”
Continual Updates
Over the years, the VBC has been expanded as community needs grew. In 1980, the city added West Exhibit Hall, and in 1987, North Hall was added, which included a dedicated ballroom venue with breakout rooms. In 1997, the center’s South Hall was constructed, adding more than 100,000 square feet of continuous space and 82,000 feet of column-free exhibit space, additional meeting rooms, pre-function area and a 500-space covered parking garage. At that time, the center changed its name from Von Braun Civic Center to just Von Braun Center, “as it was now able to entice larger out-of-market conferences,” Nielsen says.
In 2010 and 2011, the arena and concert hall underwent major renovations, including new seating, exterior upgrades and lobby expansions. During those renovations, both venues were renamed Propst Arena and Mark C. Smith Concert Hall.
Marking the Occasion
More recently, as the VBC began nearing its milestone 50-year anniversary, other major enhancements began taking place, Nielsen says. First, in 2020, the center added Mars Music Hall, a 1,200-person capacity venue with an intimate setting, and Rhythm on Monroe, the VBC’s first onsite restaurant that features a rooftop bar. The following year, the Propst Arena backstage area was expanded and renovated, and the steel rigging system in the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall was updated.
In 2022, Propst Arena received exterior upgrades with a roof replacement, paint and the installation of a new LED lighting system with full-color changing capabilities. North Hall underwent renovations in 2023 with new flooring, lighting, wall coverings and a name change to Saturn Ballroom. Last year, East Hall and the pre-function area in South Hall received facelifts, and digital signage was installed across the facility. Currently, the backstage area of Mark C. Smith Concert Hall is undergoing renovation and expansion with the addition of new dressing rooms, a dedicated green room and expanded loading dock area to accommodate larger shows.
These ongoing updates are important for the Center to continue attracting meetings, conventions and touring acts, so that it continues to make an outsized impact on the local economy, Nielsen says. In addition, the continual changes keep the building relevant as the city changes around it.
“In a sense, the concrete and steel of the VBC is a living facility,” wrote Paul Gattis, communication specialist for the city of Huntsville, on the City Blog. “It’s growing, changing, improving. Through new construction and refurbishment, it’s a fresh building that doesn’t look its age.”
Anchoring a Vibrant District
The VBC is arguably the anchor of a thriving downtown Huntsville, which continues to experience growth and transformation. Some of the major projects in the works are Lewter District Development, which will include townhomes, retail, restaurants and office space; CityCentre at Big Spring, another mixed-use development featuring AC Hotel by Marriott; and Front Row, which will include luxury residential units, retail and restaurant space, office space, public urban green space and a boutique hotel.
In the past five years, as the VBC has focused on renovating and expanding, downtown Huntsville has seen the addition and announcement of several hotels, “reflecting the city’s ongoing growth and efforts to enhance its hospitality offerings,” Nielsen says. For example, in 2019, AC Hotel by Marriott opened; in 2020, the city added a downtown Hampton Inn & Suites, 106 Jefferson and Curio by Hilton. This summer, Autograph Collection Hotel by Marriott is slated to be completed. And newly announced downtown hotels include Moxy Hotel, Hyatt House, Residence Inn and Tribute Portfolio Hotel.
Looking ahead, the VBC aims “to always be a space for our community to gather together and create memories in a facility they’re proud of, and to continue making a positive impact on the local economy,” Nielsen says. “There is a lot that will go into making those goals happen, including always keeping a pulse on the community’s needs and evolving to meet them as the Center has a proven track record of doing, continuing to cultivate our team of hospitality professionals so all of our guests have a positive and welcoming experience when they visit, and continuing to bring events to North Alabama that people want to see.”
Nancy Mann Jackson is a Huntsville-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.
This article appears in the May 2025 issue of Business Alabama.
