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)
Guild-Verner House, 1904 University Boulevard, circa 1978
Houses and homes
Guild, Dr. James
Verner, C. B.
Built about 1822 by Dr. James Guild, the house was the first brick residence in the city. Guild was a trustee of the University of Alabama and the Alabama Insane (now Bryce) Hospital, a member of the state legislature, and a practicing physician.
His son, Dr. Lafayette Guild, was chief medical officer for Gen. Robert E. Lee during the Civil War.
The house was sold to John Snow in 1881 and two years later to his brother, Dr. Charles Snow. The Snows were double first cousins of President John Quincy Adams.
The C.B. Verners acquired the house in 1911 and added the columns, side porch and other classic details. The house was originally Georgian style but currently is Greek Revival style architecture.
The house suffered through many owners, a fire, and vandalism until concerned citizens prevailed upon the Tuscaloosa City Commission to save the landmark. In 1977, the Home Builders Association of Tuscaloosa, Inc. restored the house and the staffs of the Home Builders and the Tuscaloosa Board of Realtors moved into it.
Currently, it houses the office of S.T. Bunn Construction Company, Inc.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
("Past Horizons," Tuscaloosa County Preservation Society, 1978)
Tuscaloosa News Archive
Betty Slowe (Description)
Photograph
277
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Stillman House, 1008 21st Avenue, circa 1890
Buildings
Houses and homes
Colleges
African-American--History--Tuscaloosa
The Stillman House, located at 1008 21st Avenue was built around 1870 . Dr. Charles Allen Stillman purchased this house for Stillman College (then Stillman Institute) in 1881. The college remained at this location until 1897, serving as a training site for African-American Presbyterian ministers from all over the South.
In 1981, the house was restored and the City of Tuscaloosa deeded it to the National Alumni Association of Stillman College. The Association renovated the structure in 2009.
Past Horizons, p.22
Tuscaloosa News Archive
circa 1890
Betty Slowe (Description)
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Photograph
284
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Battle-Friedman House, 1010 Greensboro Avenue, undated postcard
Houses and homes
Historic house museums
Battle, Alfred
Friedman, Bernard 1836-1896
Friedman, Victor Hugo 1878-1965
The postcard reads "A typical Southern Home - Residence of B. Friedman, Tuscaloosa, Ala."
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.
Personal Collection of Jason Townsend
Betty Slowe (Description)
Elizabeth Bradt (Description)
Postcard
331
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Battle-Friedman House in Snow, 1010 Greensboro Avenue
Houses and homes
Historic house museums
Battle, Alfred
Friedman, Bernard 1836-1896
Friedman, Victor Hugo 1878-1965
The Battle-Friedman House covered with a layer of snow.
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 County Heritage Foundation
Betty Slowe (Description)
Elizabeth Bradt (Description)
Photograph
505
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Buck Boarding House in Snow, 1816 Broad Street
Houses
The Old Buck Boarding House, located at 1816 Broad Street (now University Boulevard) just west of Queen City Avenue, was built around 1820. Ownership of the house changed many times over the years, but the Buck family owned it for many years. Records show it was deeded to Nellie Buck Morris in 1926. The house provided boarding for state dignitaries when Tuscaloosa was the state capitol and was later used for apartments.
Originally it was a handsome, elegant mansion with beautiful draperies and antiques from abroad.
The house was demolished in 1950 and the lot sold to Owen Meredith & Sons.
The slave house still stands at the site.
John T. Harris
Circa 1940
Betty Slowe (Description)
Photograph
515
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Battle – deGraffenried House, 1217 Greensboro Avenue
Houses and homes
In 1962, this landmark antebellum home on Greensboro Avenue was razed. The house, known as the deGraffenried House (or the Hester- deGraffenried House), was constructed in 1845 as a wedding gift.
Located at 1217 Greensboro Avenue on the northwest corner at 14th Street, the two-story home was owned by James Whigham. The house was being razed to make room for a 40-unit Travelodge Motel to be built.
The masonry and hand-made brick house was built by Albert Battle, a pioneer Tuscaloosa merchant and planter, as a wedding gift for his son, Dr. William Battle. The Battles left Tuscaloosa just before the Civil War and sold the house to Dr. William Hester for $5,000. After Dr. Hester’s death, the property went to Judge Henry Bacon Foster, who married a daughter of Dr. Hester. The house stayed in the Foster family until Judge Edward deGraffenried purchased it about 1912.
About 1945, the house was purchased by Ernest Friday who sold it to Whigham in 1947. Whigham remodeled and repaired the house. In 1962, Whigham sold the house to the Travelodge Corporation of El Cajon, California.
Whigham described the house as having four 20-foot-by-20-foot rooms with 14-foot ceilings on the first floor. A 12-foot wide hallway extended through the house one way and a 10-foot wide hallway ran across the house. The second floor had four rooms, a hallway and two baths. There was a 14-by-14-foot room on the outside which held a circular staircase that led to a cupola on the roof. Ornamental iron grillwork surrounded the first floor porch. Floors were of heart long leaf yellow pine planks which were dressed by hand. The tongue and grooves in the flooring were also made by hand tools.
When the house was constructed in 1845, it was in the extreme southern part of the city.
Jemison Van de Graaff Foundation
Betty Slowe (Description)
Photograph
705
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Battle-Friedman House, 1010 Greensboro Avenue, circa 1914
Houses and homes
Historic house museums
Battle, Alfred
Friedman, Bernard 1836-1896
Friedman, Victor Hugo 1878-1965
The postcard is postmarked 1914 and the photo is identified as the grounds and home of Mrs. B. Friedman, Tuskaloosa, Ala. (Hand Colored)
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.
Circa 1914
Betty Slowe (Description)
Elizabeth Bradt (Description)
Postcard
1007
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Battle - deGraffenried House, 1217 Greensboro Avenue
Houses and homes
In 1962, this landmark antebellum home on Greensboro Avenue was razed. The house, known as the deGraffenried House (or the Hester- deGraffenried House), was constructed in 1845 as a wedding gift.
Located at 1217 Greensboro Avenue on the northwest corner at 14th Street, the two-story home was owned by James Whigham. The house was being razed to make room for a 40-unit Travelodge Motel to be built.
The masonry and hand-made brick house was built by Albert Battle, a pioneer Tuscaloosa merchant and planter, as a wedding gift for his son, Dr. William Battle. The Battles left Tuscaloosa just before the Civil War and sold the house to Dr. William Hester for $5,000. After Dr. Hester’s death, the property went to Judge Henry Bacon Foster, who married a daughter of Dr. Hester. The house stayed in the Foster family until Judge Edward deGraffenried purchased it about 1912.
About 1945, the house was purchased by Ernest Friday who sold it to Whigham in 1947. Whigham remodeled and repaired the house. In 1962, Whigham sold the house to the Travelodge Corporation of El Cajon, California.
Whigham described the house as having four 20-foot-by-20-foot rooms with 14-foot ceilings on the first floor. A 12-foot wide hallway extended through the house one way and a 10-foot wide hallway ran across the house. The second floor had four rooms, a hallway and two baths. There was a 14-by-14-foot room on the outside which held a circular staircase that led to a cupola on the roof. Ornamental iron grillwork surrounded the first floor porch. Floors were of heart long leaf yellow pine planks which were dressed by hand. The tongue and grooves in the flooring were also made by hand tools.
When the house was constructed in 1845, it was in the extreme southern part of the city.
Union Furniture Company
Union Furniture Company
Union Furniture Company
1993
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Betty Slowe (Description)
Union Furniture Company
Drawing
1022
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Battle-Friedman House, 1010 Greensboro Avenue, 1836
Houses and homes
Historic house museums
Battle, Alfred
Friedman, Bernard 1836-1896
Friedman, Victor Hugo 1878-1965
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.
Union Furniture Company
Union Furniture Company
Union Furniture Company
1991
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Elizabeth Bradt (Description)
Union Furniture Company
Drawing
1023
Tuscaloosa (AL)