Huntingdon resourcefully revamps historic building for new City Hall

HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — The city of Huntingdon has moved.

At least its official offices have, that is.

Huntingdon spent the last six years renovating a building near their downtown square, but how they went about getting the work completed is a story as unique as the building itself.

Sod being placed on the front lawn is among the final cosmetic touches being made to the outside of the new Huntingdon City Hall.

It is a project nearly 10 years in the making.

After purchasing the then-funeral home in 2008, the city decided it would be the perfect spot to get some much needed elbow room.

“It was such a beautiful structure and certainly we didn’t want to see a structure like this in downtown Huntingdon to go to waste, so we found a very important need for it,” Huntingdon Mayor Dale Kelley said.

Kelley has held the mayoral office in Huntingdon for 24 years. He says the main reason for the six-year renovation came from helping save on the bottom line.

“We’ve got a project here that we did for about $666,000. It probably would be a $2 to $3 million project if we started from the ground up to build a facility this large,” Kelley said.

“Well, we had to be creative,” said Martha Taylor, the city’s recorder and treasurer.

Creative is the right word.

The city used a handful of grants to help fund the renovation of the building that was originally built in the 1900s, then primarily used only city workers in the process, something those who oversaw the project say makes it that much more special.

“Our workforce deserves a huge amount of credit for not only this project but other things that they’ve been able to accomplish,” Taylor said.

There’s still work to be done before the City Hall in Huntingdon is fully renovated, but city officials say the most important thing is bringing new life into a building that has such historical value here in their city.

“I hope they see that we have preserved and maintained a historical building and a landmark in our community that will be here for years to come,” Taylor said.

“Our city workers have shown great pride in what they’re accomplishing,” Mayor Kelley said. “This is a historical monument of the town of Huntingdon and their being a part of that historical significance is really important to them. And they’ve taken great pride in what’s taking place, and the workmanship certainly shows that.”

When it’s completely finished, the new City Hall in Huntingdon will also house the Carroll County Sports Hall of Fame, Huntingdon High Alumni Association and Huntingdon Museum.

As for what big project is next for the city, Mayor Kelley said “we’ll just have to wait and see.”