The Next Century of Magnolia Hall
BY Shelly Robertson Birdsong
For anyone driving down Highway 96 West or from downtown Franklin down Boyd Mill Avenue, you are met with an imposing and impressive structure known as Magnolia Hall. Its regal elegance set amidst the massive magnolias which cover the property, set the stage for antebellum grandeur and history.
Behind a locked wrought iron gate, the view evokes a time long since gone by and a feeling of longing to slide inside for a quiet stroll and a languid afternoon walking along the tree lined path to the house.
All of this imagery and ambiance is exactly what local developer Bernie Butler wants you to feel when you think of Magnolia Hall. For today, the opportunity to slide between the gates and take a stroll along the drive, is a reality to the less than a dozen new homeowners who will be lucky enough make their home here.
To say that Magnolia Hall is the grande dame of Franklin, is perhaps an understatement to her storied past. The Italianate architecture of her façade is unusual to perhaps the more craftsman legacy of much of the popular historic architecture in downtown Franklin. Often referred to as the William S. Campbell house, the home was constructed in 1840 by Campbell, who came to Tennessee from Ireland and is widely regarded as one of Franklin’s first settlers. He later established the First National Bank of Franklin, where he also established himself as a pillar of our local community.
Like most early 19th century homes, Magnolia Hall features an open-air floor plan for easy heating and cooling. It does not lack for luxurious features with original poplar flooring, a highly visible widow’s walk, eight fireplaces, cupola and more chandeliers than one can count! At nearly 6,900 square feet the home itself is a showstopper, and then there are the grounds. As mentioned, – populated by magnolias and a large lake and that well-known fountain – it sits amidst the confines of downtown Franklin yet could well be far out in a more country setting too.
As a true lover of historic architecture and the stories behind the homes preserved, Bernie says: “Beyond the stature and the look of this beautiful home, the stories Magnolia Hall can tell are important. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been instrumental in the history of the preservation movement in downtown Franklin, including hosting as the site of the very first Heritage Ball as well as countless other special events over the decades as the leaders of Franklin found their historic preservation footing.”
Once a house. Soon a community.
Like so many grand and historic structures around the country – the future of this important resource has been in question. And in spite of that history, because of time and the reality of life, Magnolia Hall found itself in need of love and attention to ensure that it was protected and utilized for generations to come. In need of substantial restoration and on such a large piece of land, it could not be a haven for just anyone. And developing it for anything commercial or even as a housing development possibility presented many roadblocks. After all, this is a residential neighborhood, with many residents having lived here for many decades. They simply were not going to allow for just anything to be a part of their beautiful streets. Enter Bernie Butler.
Bernie is known throughout Franklin as a developer with his eye on history. He takes on one historical project at a time and has previously been responsible for developing the First Tennessee Bank building on the downtown Square, The Arlington on West Main, the 131 Third Avenue North building and the iconic Brownstones. Located off 1st and 2nd Avenues and Church Street. Magnolia Hall is a crown jewel for sure. But a jewel that had been taken for granted by time and wear. And like so many historic properties in the country, many don’t realize what state some of them may be in until it’s too late. “Too many special properties fall prey to the easy when the hard is what’s required. We sure didn’t want that to be the case with Magnolia Hall,” says Butler.
“Beyond the stature and the look of this beautiful home, the stories Magnolia Hall can tell are important.”
Having been for sale for more than a decade, things were one big question mark with the future of Magnolia Hall. Bernie explains: “Because I had restored and added on to 415 Boyd Mill back in 2009 and had been connected to the owner of Magnolia Hall, I decided to try to put together a plan to give us a chance to not only save it but make it so somebody would want to buy it, do the work required to fix it up and ultimately want to live in it. But I knew for that to happen, I needed the neighborhood, the community, city officials and all the preservation minded players, like myself, to help me create the right development plan. For me, for success to come, the story was going to have to be how a bunch of people who really cared, all got together and made it happen. And that’s exactly what we did.”
Bernie says, “One of the main objectives of our group was to make sure the Campbell House stayed the dominant icon on the site. That’s why there’s only going to be ten new homes built on twelve acres which leaves over fifty percent of the twelve acres as green and common space which will be used for restoring the lake, walking trails and beautiful places to read or be quiet. This is one of the main ways we are making sure this is being done right!” Ultimately, Bernie credits his partnership with Dudley Smith and the team at Land Innovations for helping him get this project moving and staying in the right direction. “We don’t get to do this, this way, the right way, without the caring partnership with my incredible friend Dudley and his team. I can’t thank them enough for seeing the importance of that as much as I do,” he says. “Dudley has had a storied career of creating special neighborhoods such as Voce’ (Eddie Arnold’s land in Nashville on Granny White Park which he developed with Shannon Pollard), other special neighborhoods like Annandale, Witherspoon, Rosebrook, Stephens Valley, Providence and many more. These were all projects through his companies CPS Land and Land Innovations. Now, both Dudley and Shannon are major partners in Magnolia Hall. They are using their financial resources and executional expertise to make sure the Magnolia Hall community is everything I believed it could be. I am more than grateful,” says Bernie.
One iconic home. Ten amazing new ones.
The carefully crafted development plan creates ten historically relevant homes that are beautiful in their own right, but their scale and footprint doesn’t take away from the presence of the majestic Magnolia Hall. Rather, the newly built cottages won’t be more than a story and a half in height to show off the mansion in its glory, says Butler.And those new homes? Well, no amenity or feature worth having in today’s housing market will be overlooked. Every home will be crafted with a keen eye to both detail as well as keeping a historical perspective of time and space for each site. Craftsmanship and quality will be at the forefront of everything done in his structure – and all in keeping with maintaining beauty and allure on this unique spot. Creating a community, not just a neighborhood, will be top of mind.When it is all said and done, what has been a downtown treasure for nearly two hundred years, is getting a face lift and a new lease on life so to speak. With the community’s vision and a bevy of talent bringing this project to life, the next two centuries of Magnolia Hall promise to be just as significant. And for multiple families looking to plant their own roots in this history, the time has come.Bernie places great emphasis on the saving of Magnolia Hall and the creation of this unique neighborhood being not “his” story to tell but rather: “This real story is about how 'we' came together to figure this out and save this important resource forever. Nobody had to put up signs or threaten anybody. The people who care and are stakeholders in this special community, got together and figured it out – together. All the right players came along, and the stars have aligned. My hope is that it will be a model that can be duplicated by others to make sure we save important architectural resources that we don’t want lost to lack of attention or the sands of time.”For more information on Magnolia Hall, visit magnoliahallfranklin.com or contact Bernie Butler at 615.419.6933 or bernie@d9development.com.
