Feldman's Department Store, currently known as The Downtown Exchange, is a historic

commercial building Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

in Haleyville,

Winston County, Alabama Winston County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,540. Its county seat is Double Springs. Known as Hancock County before 1858, "ACES Winston County Office" (links/history), Alabama C ...

. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on August 12, 2009.

History

Feldman's, now known as The Downtown Exchange, is a two-story brick building that was completed in 1911 for John Dodd. It was the first brick building, and is the oldest surviving commercial building, in Haleyville. The building was purchased by Moses Feldman in 1914. He and his wife, Fanny Royal, were both

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

an Jewish immigrants to the United States. They purchased Dodd's building in order to open a

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store mad ...

in the rapidly expanding town. The store occupied the entire first floor, with assorted professional and business offices housed on the second. The Feldmans' son Abe joined the business during the 1930s. The department store operated into the late 1990s, closing upon the death of the Feldmans' youngest son David.

References

National Register of Historic Places in Winston County, Alabama Buildings designated early commercial in the National Register of Historic Places Commercial buildings completed in 1911 1911 establishments in Alabama Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage {{Alabama-NRHP-stub