Step Inside Allendale Mansion
Walk Through The Mansion With Us
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Allendale Mansion before. It is one of my favorite places to do a photo shoot! However, walking the grounds around Allendale Mansion and touring the house are two separate things and this was the first time I had a chance to view the upstairs. Oh my! I’m ready to move in.
Allendale Mansion was built in 1950 by Ruth and Harvey Brooks. In 1969 Mr. Brooks donated it along with 25 acres, several outbuildings and two man-made ponds to the city of Kingsport. If the city accepted it they had to agree to maintain it, keeping it in the condition the Brooks themselves would. Thank goodness the city accepted.
When you first enter the foyer the staircase greets you! This spot has become a staple for brides to pose on. Allendale Mansion is a favorite wedding spot here in East Tennessee.
You can just see it there at the top of the stairs. The grandfather clock over 200 years old! Of English origin, when it is wound it still chimes every hour on the hour.
One of my favorite features in the house is the art. Some pieces were purchased from The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. T likes the art too!
The most used room in the mansion, back in the days when the Brooks lived there, was the library. And it’s little wonder. The fireplace could not be cozier and the bookshelf was calling to me too!
The Pink Room was once the guest room and I wish it was my room. The four-poster bed, the fireplace, the giant windows streaming in golden sunshine, the gorgeous rug!!!! Dreamy…
From Allendale’s website “To the side of the fireplace is another period piece, a hand-carved walnut “fainting couch” [also known as a chaise lounge]. This name is derived from antebellum days when ladies were laced up very tightly into corsets for the purpose of making their waists appear smaller. When said corsets were loosened, the sudden rush of oxygen to their heads would sometimes make these ladies feel faint, and they would recline on these fainting couches until they were able to regain their composure.”
The Green Room in Allendale Mansion was also a guest room and it’s interesting to know that if you look closely you can see that it suffered damage from two separate fires which started in the kitchen just below it.
The Master Bedroom is also something to see! Double beds, a beautiful fireplace, a Louis the 14th-style dressing table, and gorgeous art!
From Allendale’s website – The matching double beds found in this room are copies of ones seen by Mrs. Brooks in a “House Beautiful” magazine. They, like the dining room table, were custom-made by the Strassel Company in Louisville. These beds are trimmed with half-canopies and curtains at the sides and back.”
Besides the art, I was most taken by the chandeliers. This one in the Dining Room is absolutley stunning!
Allendale Mansion is one of East Tennessee’s little treasures and the generosity of the Brooks is something worth celebrating. If you haven’t visited the mansion and walked the grounds, you really should. It is a very peaceful place, locked in its own chunk of time, waiting to show you what lovely is.
The Details on Allendale Mansion:
Location: 4444 West Stone Dr., Kingsport Tennessee
Phone: 423.229.9422
Website: http://allandalemansion.com/
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