Open Tuesday through Saturday for guided tours at 11:30! The Battle-Friedman House was built about 1835 by Alfred Battle, a North Carolina native who had come to Tuscaloosa in 1821. The house and its outbuildings occupied the entire city block. Originally, 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. In 1875, the house was bought from the Battles by Bernard Friedman, a local merchant who had immigrated from Hungary. It remained in the Friedman family until 1965, when it was willed to the city of Tuscaloosa by Hugo Friedman. The house is operated by the Tuscaloosa County Preservation Society and is available for rental for weddings, receptions etc. The exterior of the house is stucco over brick and painted to resemble red marble. The front porch has distinctively Tuscaloosa styled paneled square columns. 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 also contains a fine collection of renaissance revival furniture. There is a $5.00 per person admission charge. Children under 12 are free. Handicap accessible.
The Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion (constructed 1859-1862) was one of the last and most elaborate great houses to be built in Alabama before the state’s economy was devastated by the Civil War. The builder, wealthy planter and business man , Robert Jemison, Jr., spared no expense to create a “state of the art” home for his family. The Italianate style house was designed by Philadelphia architect John Stewart who was in Tuscaloosa supervising the construction of the Alabama Insane Hospital (now Bryce Hospital). This enormous structure had been designed by Stewart’s partner Samuel Sloan, who also designed famous “Longwood” in Natchez, Mississippi. Jemison’s home incorporated the latest innovations in design and technology including an elaborate plumbing system with running water, flush toilets, and a copper bathtub. It also featured a large conservatory to be warmed by a central heating plant (unfortunately never installed because of the Yankee blockades), and indoor lighting fueled by coal gas manufactured in a machine located in the basement. Other modern features incorporated in the design were a boiler for producing hot water, a gas stove and, an early form of “refrigerator” consisting of a deep dry well in the basement that kept food fresh even in hot Alabama summers. TOTAL HOURS MANSION RESERVED 8 Hours on Saturday: $ 2000 6 Hours Weekday/Sunday: $ 1200 $100 hr (50 or less) 4 Hr. Min. CORKAGE FEE: $200 Security included: WEDDING (Second Night Rental) Rehearsal for (2 Hours): $300 W/ Rehearsal Dinner until 11 PM $500 PORTABLE DANCE FLOOR: $400 FURNITURE SETUP: Chair(s): Inside: $3.00 Outside: $3.00 Round Table(s): $10.00 Rect. 6 ft. Table: $10.00 Table Cloth (90”); $15.00 Floor length: (120”)$20.00 Rect. 6 ft. Cloth: $10.00 DAMAGE DEPOSIT: $ 275
The Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion is a historic house in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. The structure remained a private residence until 1955, when it served first as a library, then publishing house offices, and lastly as a historic house museum. The mansion was added to National Register of Historic Places on April 19, 1972, due to its architectural significance.HistoryThe 26-room Italianate mansion was designed by architect John Stewart for Robert Jemison, Jr., a local planter, politician, and businessman. Stewart was with the Philadelphia architectural firm of Sloan and Stewart at the time, partnered with Samuel Sloan. Construction began in 1859, as the nearby Alabama State Hospital for the Insane, designed by Sloan, neared completion. Stewart was in Tuscaloosa supervising the construction of the hospital. Jemison had been a significant political force in getting the Alabama Legislature to locate the proposed Alabama Insane Hospital in Tuscaloosa, since the state capital had been relocated to Montgomery in 1846.Construction on the mansion continued into the early years of the American Civil War, being primarily completed in 1862. Although some items were never completed as planned due to the war and the resulting Union blockade of the South, the house made use of the latest technology. This included an elaborate plumbing system which featured running water, flush toilets, a hot water boiler, and a copper bathtub. This was some of the earliest modern plumbing in the state. The property also had its own coal gas plant, which provided the mansion with gas lighting and fueled a kitchen stove.