Union Grove Gallery

Built circa 1830, this was originally a chapel located in Hazel Green, Alabama. This makes it one of the oldest religious structures in Madison County. The chapel was donated to UAH in 1973 by the Bendall family, after which it was carefully moved to UAH and restored by UAH and Huntsville volunteers. Since it's 1976 opening, it has been used as an art gallery.

In 1973, the Bendall family donated a 19th-century, Greek Revival style chapel standing in Hazel Green, Alabama, to The University of Alabama in Huntsville. After being relocated to UAH, volunteers from UAH and local high schools spent 3,000 hours restoring it.

The renovation plans and related documents were donated by Jones and Herrin, a local architectural firm. According to Harvie P. Jones, a notable architect from the area, it could be the oldest fully intact religious structure in Madison County, should it be older than 1859. He noted that it is difficult to pin down the exact time of construction, but was enthralled by it nonetheless, stating:

In any event, it is decades older than any church in Huntsville. The four oldest are dated to the 1860s and 1870s. This may be the oldest building of its type in Alabama. If not, then it is certainly among the very few.^[1]

The Huntsville Times reported on the chapel being moved to the UAH campus and on its use as an art gallery. The structure would serve as not only a space for the local art community, but also a significant piece of architectural history. Professor Jeffrey Bayer, the sculpting instructor of the time stated for The Huntsville Times:

We save a 19th century building which is a veritable museum of 19th century construction techniques, and save it in a viable way, a way that life to it. It adds another facet to what UAH is all about, the arts as well as the sciences.^[2]

The original pews were scattered about the region and most were rotted. Some were found at at Sharon Johnston Park and moved to the 1836 Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Moorseville, Alabama. This building in Mooreseville was still in use as of 1994 as a meeting hall and concert space.

In 1976, the restored chapel was opened for its first use on the UAH campus as an art gallery. The first art displayed in it were the prints of Ms. Paschall, a part time UAH instructor. In 1998, it underwent a second renovation. The building still serves as a forum for campus events.

^[1][2] Moore, Alan. "Old Country Church Beginning New Life As City Art Museum." The Huntsville Times (Huntsville) May 5th 1974. .33.

“Re: Circa 1840 Union Chapel (UAH Art Gallery),” Box 5, Folder 30, Harvie P. Jones Architectural Collection, The UAH Archives and Special Collections

The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Union Grove Gallery, UAH Events. Accessed June 8th 2022. https://www.uah.edu/events/venues/detail/10/1/union-grove-gallery.

The University of Alabama in Huntsville. "UAH art gallery to open Thursday." Exponent (Huntsville) April 7th 1976. 10 ed, 11 sec.3.