McLester Hotel, 1910
Hotels
The McLester Hotel was built in 1887 on the northwest corner of the intersection of Greensboro Avenue and Sixth Street. The capital for the building was furnished by Mrs. E.N.C. Snow, Mrs. William A. Leland, Mrs. John R. Kennedy, and the old Merchants Bank, each party investing $15,000. The lady members were daughters of Richard McLester and the hotel was named for him. Described as a "bowl and pitcher" hotel, having 33 rooms with a fireplace in each, the three-story building was made of bricks with an iron and glass front. On the ground floor were a store, an office, and a dining room.
Tuscaloosa News Archive
Circa 1910
Jason Townsend (Description)
Postcard
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Tuscaloosa (AL)
Alabama Great Southern Passenger Depot, circa 1902
Railroads
Railroad stations
The Alabama Great Southern Depot was located at 2105 Greensboro Avenue where the current (2017) Amtrak Station is located. This building was replaced with the current structure.
Tuscaloosa News Archive
Circa 1909
Jason Townsend (Description)
Postcard
2
Tuscaloosa (AL)
6th Street Looking East, Tuscaloosa, circa 1910
City halls
The intersection of Greensboro Avenue and Sixth Street was at one time referred to as City Hall Square. L. Rosenfeld’s dry goods store is to the left. To the right is the Alston Building.
Tuscaloosa News Archive
circa 1910
Jason Townsend (Description)
Postcard
3
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Battle-Friedman House, 1010 Greensboro Avenue, circa 1905
Houses and homes
Historic house museums
Battle, Alfred
Friedman, Victor Hugo 1878-1965
Friedman, Bernard 1836-1896
The postcard states "A Typical Southern Home, The B. Friedman Residence"
The Battle-Friedman House was built about 1835 by Alfred Battle, a North Carolina native who had come to Tuscaloosa in 1821, and his wife, Millicent. A wealthy planter, Battle owned three plantations south of Tuscaloosa in present day Hale County. In 1875 due to failed Confederate investments, Battle was forced to sell the house to Bernard Friedman, a local merchant who had emigrated from Hungary. Bernard Friedman operated a dry goods store, known as the Atlanta Store, located on the northeast corner of University Boulevard and Greensboro Avenue. The Battle-Friedman House remained in the Friedman family until 1965, when it was willed to the City of Tuscaloosa by Victor Hugo Friedman. The Battle-Friedman House is presently managed by the Tuscaloosa County Preservation Society and is available for rental for weddings, receptions etc.
Originally, the house and its outbuildings occupied the entire city block. The house consisted of the two front parlors, central hallway and the rooms above. The columned porch and the rooms at the back of the house were added at various times before the Civil War. The front porch has distinctively Tuscaloosa styled paneled square columns. The exterior of the house is stucco over brick and painted to resemble red marble. Inside, elaborate plasterwork decorates the walls and ceilings of the front parlors and hallways. Some of this is original to the house, but the distinctive art deco nasturtium frieze in the halls was added by the Friedman family in the early part of the twentieth century. The house now contains a fine collection of renaissance revival furniture.
Tuscaloosa News Archive
The Tuscaloosa News
Circa 1905
Jason Townsend (Description)
Elizabeth Bradt (Description)
Postcard
4
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Greensboro Avenue, Looking North, 1920
Theaters
This photo was taken from the intersection of 7th Street and Greensboro Avenue looking north on Greensboro Avenue. The building locations are as follows from left to right: Allen & Jemison Hardware Co.; City Hall; McLester Hotel; City Hall square fountain in the intersection of 6th Street and Greensboro Avenue; L. Rosenfeld and Co. Dry Goods, Alston Building; Belvedere Theater & Diamond Theater.
Tuscaloosa News Archive
circa 1920
Jason Townsend (Description)
Postcard
5
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Greensboro Avenue Looking South, circa 1912
Houses and homes
This postcard view is of Greensboro Avenue looking south toward the intersection of Paul W. Bryant Drive (10th Street). The house to the left is the Rosenau-Eddins home that was located at 919 Greensboro Avenue.
Tuscaloosa News Archive
Circa 1912
Jason Townsend (Description)
Postcard
6
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Elks Home, circa 1910
Opera
Theaters
Elks (Fraternal order)
Schuyler, Don Buell
The Elks Home and Auditorium was built shortly after the organization of Elks Lodge No. 393 on January 7th, 1898. The auditorium was Tuscaloosa’s second opera house. It was located on the southeast corner of 6th Street and 22nd Avenue. In the 1920s it was bought by Joe Burchfield. . It was remodeled under the direction of architect Don Buell Schuyler in 1940 and re-dedicated as the Alta Apartments. It was demolished in 2008 for construction of the city hall complex.
The Tuscaloosa Elks played an active role in working with handicapped children, as well as, a variety of other youth programs.
Tuscaloosa News Archive
Circa 1910
Jason Townsend (Description)
Elizabeth Bradt (Description)
Postcard
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Tuscaloosa (AL)
Alabama Central Female College, circa 1905
Old State Capitol
Women's colleges
The Alabama State Capitol was located in Tuscaloosa from 1826 until 1847. The stone foundation of the capitol was laid in 1827 and work was completed in the late fall of 1829.
After the seat of government was moved to Montgomery in 1847, the Tuscaloosa Capitol and its furnishing were deeded to the University of Alabama to be used for educational purposes. In 1857, the University Board of Trustees leased the building for ninety nine years to the newly formed Baptist-affiliated Alabama Central Female College. At this time, a large brick four story dormitory was constructed at the west of the building. The building was used by the Alabama Central Female College until it was destroyed by fire on April 22, 1923 when a construction worker accidentally set it ablaze. He was soldering a piece of flashing while repairing the dome and the building caught fire. On August 22, 1923, the historic building was totally destroyed by fire. In the 1930's, the site was cleared for use as a park.
Archibald John Battle was president 1860-1862 (he later served as president of Mercer University from 1872-1889). Joshua Hill Foster was joint principal from 1869-71 and president from 1871-1873 (then became faculty member at University of Alabama until 1892). John F. Lanneau served as president from 1873-79 (later serving as president of Baptist Female College in Lexington, MO and Pierce City College also in MO).
The ruins of the old Alabama State Capitol building can still be seen in Capitol Park in Tuscaloosa.
Tuscaloosa News Archive
circa 1905
Jason Townsend (Description)
Postcard
8
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Lock 13, July 4, 1905
Locks (Hydraulic engineering)
Black Warrior River (Ala.)
Dams
Lock 13 was completed in May of 1905 and a formal ceremony was held on July 4, 1905. Lock 13 extended the upper limit of the Black Warrior River improvement to the junction of Locust and Mulberry forks of the river.
To facilitate coal shipment, the River and Harbor Acts of 1902 and 1907 authorized various improvements to the Black Warrior and lower Tombigbee Rivers creating 17 locks and dams to provide navigation from the Port of Mobile to near Birmingham, AL.
Tuscaloosa News Archive
July 4, 1905
Jason Townsend (Description)
Elizabeth Bradt (Description)
Postcard
9
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Stallworth Lake, circa 1920
Lakes
Recreation areas
Stallworth Lake was a recreational lake that was located at the foot of River Hill. The lake, which was built in 1918, had sliding boards, spring boards, diving towers, floating rafts, boating, a merry-go-round, and a miniature zoo. It became a City landfill in 1948.
Tuscaloosa News Archive
circa 1920
Betty Slowe (Description)
Postcard
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Tuscaloosa (AL)