On Tuesday, April 16, downtown Huntsville played host to yet another groundbreaking.

Huntsville’s latest development, Front Row, will total somewhere around 900,000 square feet with 545 rental apartments, 47,000 feet of curated retail food and beverage space, and 6,000 feet of new downtown office space. The project is located directly across from the Mars Music Hall and the Von Braun Center on Clinton Avenue.

The overall cost of the project, according to Front Row developer Mitch Rutter, sits at around $220 million.

“This historic project will cement the core of downtown and will truly be Huntsville’s Front Row,” Rutter said. “We decided to mobilize what really is more than three city blocks all at once. That represents our commitment to Huntsville and our continued belief in the leadership and the vision and commitment to Mayor Tommy battle.”

Rutter is the founding partner and chief executive officer of Essex Capital Partners Ltd., a New York-based real estate investment and development company that has been heading up the Front Row project since 2018. Rutter was joined by his partner in the anticipated venture, Dan Shields, president of the commercial real estate private equity firm AscendAmerica LLC.

Shields addressed the crowd after Rutter and expressed his confidence in the city as a whole before interacting with key members of the Huntsville community.

“We are a couple of real estate developers from the Northeast who have been seeking out America’s next great city and believe we have found it here in Huntsville,” exclaimed Shields.

“When we conduct research on emerging municipalities, we believe it’s important to be physically present in the city, meet as many people as possible and get to know the people that run its institutions, as well as the people that walk on the streets. While our goal is to establish Front Row as the premier downtown community, we firmly believe that we must contribute beyond our borders.”

Backing up those words, Shields also presented a check for $250,000 to Huntsville Housing Authority Executive Director Tony McGinnis to support HHA’s growth initiative.

In addition to Essex Capital and Ascend Property Group, Front Row is a collaborative effort between Silverstein Properties, Cantor Fitzgerald and Arctaris Impact Investors.

Other partners include Crunkleton Commerical Associates who will serve as leasing broker for all retail space, Torti Gallas and Matheny Goldmon as architects, and ARCO/Murray as the general contractor. The VOREA Group is providing construction oversight.

Situated across from the Von Braun Center at the former sight of the Coca Cola plant, Front Row is set to be a significant addition to Huntsville, introducing a more modern design to the city’s evolving downtown core. Its construction aligns with the city’s major growth initiatives in the district, coinciding with other nearby projects like the recently announced Riverwalk and the upcoming pedestrian Skybridge connecting downtown with the Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment district.

Front Row will play a pivotal role in Huntsville’s modernization, connecting key areas such as Big Spring Park, Fountain Circle, University of Alabama Huntsville, Downtown Greenway, and more. Positioned as an interlink with the Von Braun Center development, it aims to create a dynamic urban center.

More information on the development can be found at frontrowhsv.com.