At the age of 66, Dr. William Henry Burritt began construction on his mountaintop home where he would live until his death in 1955. The present structure is actually the second one built on the site. The first one, built of wood and native stone, burned the day Dr. Burritt moved in on June 6, 1936. During its reconstruction, concrete and concrete-fiber-reinforced shingles replaced much of the wood used in the original design. The present house was completed in late 1938.
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The parlor
The entrance to the house faces the bluff overlooking Huntsville. Fronted by a large two-story portico, the entranceway features large Doric columns of concrete which were cast by hand on site. The ornamentation of the house combines many different architectural styles including classical revival, federal, and art deco. Unique to both houses was the use of 2200 bales of wheat straw as insulation.
Dr. Burritt built the house in the shape of an “X,” and in an interview in 1951, he explained that this was to provide every room with a beautiful view and cross-ventilation. His friends recalled that Burritt also believed that he could get better radio reception by installing a grid of antennae in the X-shaped structure. Whatever the reason, the house provides comfortable living spaces within easy access of each other.
During his retirement on the mountain, Dr. Burritt raised goats and dabbled in truck farming. While the goat barns were located on the slope down from the mansion, the flat, open area behind the house provided ten acres to grow fruits and vegetables.
Having no heirs from his three marriages, Burritt left the mansion and the surrounding 167 acres to the City of Huntsville to become the city’s first museum. |
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Through the City Lights and Stars Concert series, Burritt on the Mountain continues to bring world class musicians to the Huntsville community at affordable prices. Burritt is pleased to bring Justin Johnson and Microwave Dave and the Nukes to City Lights. This concert is sponsored by the Athens State University Livingston Concert and Lecture Series and the series is sponsored by Redstone Federal Credit Union.