Park Of
The Future
About CRP
Cummings Research Park redesigned itself for the future. We are ensuring that the Park is the premier place to locate and expand, the place where your employees want to work, where your friends and family want to explore and enjoy.
RANKING ReSearch University
The Legacy of Cummings
Research Park
Established in 1962, Cummings Research Park began as an idea during a brainstorming session between Dr. Wernher von Braun and a group of Huntsville community leaders. This conversation about the city amenities needed to attract business sparked the beginnings of Cummings Research Park, first known as Huntsville Research Park.
Origins of Innovation
A Vision is Born
Established in 1962, Cummings Research Park began as an idea during a brainstorming session between Dr. Wernher von Braun and a group of Huntsville community leaders. This conversation about the city amenities needed to attract business sparked the beginnings of Cummings Research Park, first known as Huntsville Research Park.
Brown Engineering was the first business to move into the Huntsville Research Park. The engineering firm, headed by Milton K. Cummings and Joseph C. Moquin, purchased a 100-acre lot in 1962 at the end of the dirt road that developed into what is known today as Sparkman Drive. As a founding business in Huntsville Research Park, Brown Engineering established their research laboratories and flourished.
Growth Takes Off
Major Players Arrive
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, IBM, SpaceCraft, Inc, Lockheed, Northrop, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville all soon located within the Park, all of which grew tremendously.
A New Name, A Lasting Legacy
Renamed Cummings Research Park
In 1973, after the death of Milton K. Cummings, the Park was renamed Cummings Research Park (CRP).
A Turning Point
At Capacity
By the late 1980s, the original settlement of CRP, known as CRP East, filled up.
Expansion into the Future
CRP West is established
In 1982, the City of Huntsville purchased additional land, known today as CRP West. Companies including ADTRAN and Dynetics Inc. as well as the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and its 152-acre biotech campus are located there.
The East Fills In
A Hub of Learning
In 1996, Calhoun Community College established their Huntsville campus inside CRP East. They are the only community college in the nation with a campus in a major research park. They are also now the state’s largest community college.
Work Meets Lifestyle
Bridge Street Town Centre Opens
In 2007, Bridge Street Town Centre opened inside CRP West. The mixed-use project was originally established as a nearby place to offer services to employees inside the Park but soon became a booming regional retail destination.
Planning the Future
A New Master Plan
Created in 2016, our CRP Master Plan ensures another 50 years of success.
Live Where You Innovate
First Apartments in CRP
In 2019, the first ever apartments opened inside the Park. The Seleno at Bridge Street features 240 luxury apartments in CRP West.
Shaping the Next Generation
ASCTE Campus Opens
In 2022, the Alabama School for Cyber Engineering and Technology (ASCTE) opened their state of the art campus in CRP East.
A New Era of Mixed-Use
Arcadia Opens in CRP East
In 2024, the first ever mixed-use development opened in CRP East, called the Arcadia.
A Connected Ecosystem
Today and Beyond
Today in the Park you find a vibrant mix of academia, the private and public sectors, retail, hospitality. With 300+ companies, 26,000 employees and 13,500 students, our Park is and will be a collaborative and connected ecosystem. Anchor tenants in the Park include Teledyne Brown Engineering, UAH, Lockheed Martin, Redstone Federal Credit Union, Calhoun Community College, ADTRAN, Leidos, HudsonAlpha and Blue Origin.
Innovation-Led
Growth Opportunities
In the past, the Huntsville region and Cummings Research Park both have benefitted from growth in broad industry clusters, including aerospace/defense, information technology, advanced manufacturing and life sciences.
Redesigning The Future
Going forward, CRP’s positioning must be recalibrated around a more nuanced understanding of converging technologies and emerging multi-disciplinary industry sectors.
Seven innovation-led growth opportunities that combine well-positioned industry drivers with core competencies found in the Huntsville region could be advanced by CRP leadership through its efforts in proactive marketing, supporting business expansion, and new company formation.
