Ralph and Linda Bayer Allen

Ralph Allen and Harvie Jones' wife Lynn stand at Alabama Constitution Village, the building that spawned Harvie's interest in historic preservation architecture. Photo by Robin Conn / Huntsville Times

Ralph and Linda Allen have spent decades working to preserve the architecture and history of Huntsville and Madison County. They were close friends with Harvie and Lynn Jones who had very similiar interests.

Ralph is an architect who worked with Harvie to restore historic structures such as the Huntsville Depot before becoming the Preservation Officer at Marshall Space Flight Center and later served as coordinator of the Historic Huntsville Preservation Commission. As a long-term employee of the Huntsville Planning Department, Linda was deeply involved in the City's preservation efforts.

Both were active members of the Historic Huntsville Foundation. Linda has written many articles on preservation for the Historic Huntsville Quarterly and served as editor or co-editor for seven years. Ralph worked to salvage historic architectural components for use in the restoration of Huntsville's historic houses. Their volunteer work did not stop with retirement. They continue to preserve materials related to the history of Huntsville and its historic structures in support of the UAH and other archives.

Check out these examples of their work: