I. Schiffman Building

The story

Behind the sketch.

231 Eastside Square | 1845 The I. Schiffman Building began around 1845 as part of a larger brick commercial block on the courthouse square. In 1895, the corner section received its wonderfully muscular Richardsonian Romanesque façade, complete with rough stone, arches, turrets, and a prominent bay window. The neighboring bays were later demolished, leaving this dramatic slice of the original building standing on its own. Future Speaker of the U.S. House, William B. Bankhead, once kept an office here, and his daughter, actress Tallulah Bankhead, was born in the upstairs apartment. Isaac Schiffman purchased the building in 1905. It is one of downtown Huntsville's best combinations of business history, political history, architecture, and theatrical gossip.

Neighborhood

Downtown

Book location

Page 17