This Mansion in TN was Built in 1938 for a Wealthy Businessman

The Hibbettage, Nashville Tennessee

Date added: August 15, 2024

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The Hibbettage farm, composed of sixty-two acres, was built at a time when the country was experiencing a major Depression. However, the B. K. Hibbett family was experiencing prosperity in the salvage business and Hibbett decided to build a home to show the family's status. The construction of rural country estates in the open spaces of west Nashville was one way a family of wealth could escape the busy city and escape the conformity of restricted spaces of elite suburbs, such as Belle Meade. Moreover, Hibbett had an interest in raising a specialized breed of livestock, both for financial reasons and for living the life of a country gentleman. The importance of the stock raising to the history of the property is clearly evident because construction of the first primary barn and tenant house was circa 1940 so the farm could go into production. The family still lived in the temporary residence of five rooms. The lack of building materials during World War II, the completed design of the house did not happen until 1947. The family has maintained livestock herds and currently specializes in the raising of cattle, which graze in fields and pastures initially established circa 1936.

The dwelling itself, built in two phases with an agricultural context, is an example of the pervasiveness of the "Southern Colonial" style in Davidson County. The temporary residence, designed by Nashville architect George D. Waller, was symmetrical in a restrained Colonial Revival fashion of the interior, but largely unadorned with architectural elements. The interior, however, represents a late 1930s interpretation of a Rustic interior, almost in the manner of a hunting lodge. Pine paneling, exposed wood ceiling, heavy support beams, and a unique staircase, with balusters in the shape of ax handles, are distinguishable architectural traits. The overall impression of the staircase, dark paneling and liberal use of wood conveys a quality of masculinity, in keeping with a working farmhouse for the surrounding estate.

Completed in 1948 the dwelling's character changed markedly. The Nashville architectural firm of Wallace and Clemmons, located at 1907 Division Street, designed the main domestic space in the spirit and actual appearance of The Hermitage, former home of President Andrew Jackson. The Hermitage is a prominent Nashville landmark. This design choice reflects the influence of Mrs. Mary Francis Young Hibbett who was active in the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Ladies Hermitage Association, and local garden clubs. She was following in the footsteps of her mother, Mrs. Katie Young, wife of the founder of the Nashville Bridge Company, who had also been extremely active in these same organizations. "The Garden Club" Ladies of Tennessee, mostly the wives of upper-middle-class businessmen, were very important in the history of preservation and the Colonial Revival movement in Tennessee. The book, History of Homes and Gardens of Tennessee, produced by The Garden Study Club of Nashville in 1936, codified the architectural elements associated with antebellum Greek Revival as the state's most important historic achievement in domestic architecture. The book also highlighted Colonial Revival inspired landscape gardening, another trend evident in the property. Mary Francis Young Hibbett was part of this social and cultural world in Davidson County and her experiences clearly influenced the final design of her family's country estate.

The Hibbettage house epitomizes the "Southern" Colonial Revival style with both its exterior and interior design. The Greek Revival facade of Corinthian columns, flanking porch, and the flat roof are integrated with Colonial Revival details surrounding the windows and doors. This combination on the exterior of the house allows one to recall the beauty and majesty of the ante-bellum Old South.

The interior of the house corresponds more closely with the Colonial Revival decorative trends of the times. Original Colonial Revival wallpapers and patterned carpets still exist in several of the rooms and lend to the feel of historical accuracy. Colonial Revival white painted, wood paneling of doors and plaster medallions and cornices also contribute to the Colonial Revival appearance of the interior. Mrs. Hibbett purchased the chandeliers in the dining room and parlor from a source at Cooperstown, New York. These chandeliers, from the mid 1800s, still had their original wrapping paper on them. While much older than the house, they give the air of authenticity to period rooms.

Site Description

The Hibbettage, located at 2160 Old Hickory Boulevard, near the intersection of Hillsboro Pike and Old Hickory Boulevard in Davidson County, Tennessee is a sixty-two-acre farm. The farm is an excellent extant example of 'rural county estates' built in Davidson County during the mid-twentieth century. It is a complete estate with a large, gracious dwelling centered in the acreage, surrounded by various work buildings, including a prominent horse barn, a stock barn, and two tenant houses. The primary agricultural product of the farm has been livestock since its inception in the late 1930s and the surrounding fence and field patterns date to that decade.

The Hibbettage house is an excellent representative example of Colonial Revival sweeping the country and especially the South during the early twentieth century. The house constructed in two phases now has the first phase serving as a secondary wing of the dwelling. The first phase, designed as a temporary residence by Nashville architect George D. Waller, served the family until the remaining estate was built. The construction on the first phase began in 1938 by the Boone Construction Company. The plan consisted of only five rooms. Lack of building materials and labor during World War II slowed construction of the rest of the house, which is a replica of President Andrew Jackson's Hermitage. Construction began again in 1948 when the Nashville firm of Wallace and Clemmons, Architects designed "The Hermitage look" to the house. Changes to The Hermitage were primarily to the interior plan. Overall, most of the interior construction, such as the moldings and front door, is identical to those at The Hermitage.

The Hibbettage is a large two-story house composed of the 1938 section, the 1948 main section, and a 1972 rear ell and garage. The house design is a modified rectangular plan, flat and hipped roofs and colossal temple front with Corinthian Columns out of rosewood. The roof is metal on the 1938 section and asphalt on the remaining house. The foundation is concrete and the structure of the house is of hollow concrete blocks throughout. The exterior is brick veneer in a stretcher bond pattern.

The primary, or north, facade faces south towards Old Hickory Boulevard. The house sits far back from the road, but presents an imposing presence on the suburban landscape. This facade contains four bays. The first and third bays are identical creating the appearance of a symmetrical fenestration. The second bay serves as the main entrance and is the focal point of the Hermitage style facade. The fourth bay is the original house that sits back from the main portion of the dwelling. It is the three bays constructed in 1948 that mimic The Hermitage. The Hibbettage has many of the same measurements as the original Hermitage. One of the major changes was the addition of a second, or half story on the side wings.

The first and third bays are one-and-one-half-story side wings. They contain center nine-over-nine, double-hung sash window designed with a wood lintel and sidelight effect. The window surrounds are slight, square recesses in the brick with similar rectangular-shaped recesses above. Dominated the two-story second bay is the full-height Greek Revival portico, which features a denticulated cornice and heavy molding on top of a substantial, open frieze. Six large, fluted columns support the portico, resting on squared concrete bases and ending in elaborate Corinthian capitals decorated with an acanthus leaf motif. Entrances on the first and second stories provide interior access; both entrances are the same size and basic configuration.

Characterizing the first-floor entrance is a slender set of double wood doors flanked by slender engaged columns that support the cornice of the doorway. A transom and two sidelights containing diamond-shaped panes enhanced the slightly recessed double doors. The second-floor doorway opens to a broad balcony with a painted, wood railing. This entrance mirrors the first-floor entrance in size, but contains a decorative, wood architrave over the cornice of the entrance. Also, the transom contains seven square panes and the sidelights each contain three rectangular panes. Four, nine-over-nine double-hung sashes appear on each floor of this bay. Two windows are on either side of the two entrances with the same flat wood lintels and louvered and hinged wood shutters.

The fourth bay, the first phase of the house on the north elevation, sits back from the portion that resembles The Hermitage by seven feet. The original house is two stories and contains two six-over-six double-hung sash windows finished with the same shutters. The first floor contains a single, wood door with sidelights. This was the original main entrance to the house. While somewhat Colonial Revival in nature, it reflects its 1938 time period more than the front facade of the portion built mimicking The Hermitage.

In 1972 the east elevation of the original section of the house was extended by a garage and storage space addition. This elevation also contains six-over-six double-hung sash windows and wood lintels and wood louvered and hinged shutters. There are three windows on the first floor and three on the second floor. The addition matches in design, brick color and pattern to the original house.

The north or rear, elevation contains three bays. The first bay is the rear of the 1972 addition. The second bay is a one and a half story wing having two nine-over-nine double-hung windows with wood lintels on the second floor. A one-over-one double-hung sash window with a wood lintel and a three-section bay window is on the first floor. The third bay contains four nine-over-nine, double-hung windows with the same type of wood lintel and shutters in the center of the elevation.

The first story of the third bay contains two types of windows. There are three nine-over-nine double-hung windows and two side-by-side slender three paned, vertical nine-over-nine double-hung windows. All of these windows also have the same flat heavy wood lintel and wood louvered and hinged shutter. In the center of this bay, on the first floor, is the rear entrance to the house. This entrance consists of a single, six-panel door flanked by two, three-paned sidelights that enhance the door. A wood transom over the doorway is slightly projecting and supported by wood brackets. The fourth bay of this elevation contains two sets of two side-by-side nine-over-nine double-hung sash windows on the second floor and a six-paned horizontal; rectangular-shaped window on the first floor. The first floor also contains another rear entrance that consists of a single-paneled wood door with a fanlight window inset at the top. This entrance also has the same slightly projecting wood transom supported by wood brackets over the door.

The east elevation is a fairly unadorned elevation, being only one-and-one-half stories and containing only a few windows. On the second floor, there are two nine-over-nine double-hung windows with wood lintels. On the first floor is a double nine-over-nine sash window that does not have a wood lintel.

The interior of the house is very ornate and exhibits a high degree of Colonial Revival influence. The 1948 addition, or the main section of the house, has a slightly altered rectangular plan. The plan has a central hall creating a flow into the ample rooms and a grand staircase leading to the second floor. Patterned carpets, hardwood floors, plaster walls and ceilings, crown molding and raised plaster molding are all characteristic of the interior of the house. The interior woodwork, painted white, illustrates the strong Colonial Revival influence in the use of paneled doorways and molded door frames with cornices. Other decorative elements indicating a high-style revival house include plaster ceilings with decorative molding and elaborate mantles.

Only minor changes to the 1948 configuration of the rooms have occurred except for updating the kitchen and bathrooms circa 1970. The original patterned carpets and wallpapers are still present in the house, as well as the original chandeliers, brought from Cooperstown, New York.

The central hall is almost an exact replica of the center hall in The Hermitage. A foreshortening of the hallway is one of its main differences and it does not have the number of parlors or halls. Dominating the hall is an impressive double return staircase that is identical to The Hermitage's in measurement and trim. The staircase has a stained and curved banister lip and handrail, narrow palings, and stained wood treads. The wood risers and the balusters are painted white. The central hall has two large cased openings on either side of the south end. One leads into the parlor and the other leads into the dining room. This is similar to the Hermitage, with the main difference being the dining room entrance. At The Hermitage, this opening is a secondary hallway. At the rear of the hall, on the west wall and under the staircase is a recessed opening that leads into a small hallway to a bathroom and closet space. At The Hermitage at the rear of the hall is the second parlor and there are no openings under the stairs.

The number of rooms at The Hibbettage makes for a complex interior description. In an attempt to clarify the interior configuration and location of the rooms, each room is assigned a number and letter keyed to the plans below.

The west side of the hall opens into two large rooms connected by a single, paneled door with cap trim. The first room (1B), the parlor, has painted plaster walls with molded baseboards and denticulated cornices. Located on the west wall is an elaborate wood mantel. The mantelpiece consists of two slender, round Ionic columns that support the cornice and frieze. The connecting room (1C), is a family and storage room. This room contains paneled wood wainscoting throughout and therefore appears to be a much more masculine and stronger room than the parlor. This room contains a kitchenette area, as well as floor-to-ceiling bookcases.

The east side of the central hall opens to the dining room (1D). This room also has plaster walls covered by the original wallpaper. These walls also have molded baseboards and heavy cornices. On the east wall is an elaborate mantle. This mantelpiece has two slightly recessed, square columns that support the cornice and wide frieze. The dining room connects to a small storage and service area containing a bathroom and butler's pantry. The floor is tile in these areas and the walls are plaster. The dining room also connects to the kitchen (1E). The same tile floor from the service area continues in this room. Dark wood cabinets line the walls and a matching utility island sits in the center of the room. This room connects to a large storage room (1F) which is broken-up by two large pantries. This room has plaster walls and heavy, stained wood beams on the ceiling.

The east portion of the house attaches to the first phase, or temporary residence of the house. A family room (1g) is in this area and it reflects the masculine feel of the family room (1C) at the other end of the house. The walls are in stained pine wood wainscoting and the wood baseboard and moldings match. The room has an exposed wood ceiling with heavy wood beams and a carpeted floor. The mantle on the east wall is brick with a stained wood cap. A focal point of this room is the central staircase leading to the second floor. The balusters are real ax handles, a design idea of B. K. Hibbett. The entire staircase is of the same stained wood seen in the rest of the room. A Kitchenette area, bathroom, and laundry room are in this area and updated with modern appliances circa 1970.

The configuration of the second floor follows the same plan of the first floor, providing a central hall, four bedrooms, four bathrooms and several closets. All rooms retain their plaster walls and some have the original wallpaper. The ceilings, patterned carpet floors, wood baseboard, windows and original crown moldings also remain.

The central hall landing serves the four primary bedrooms, located on the east and west walls of the hall with plain three-paneled doors to each room. Bedrooms (2B) and (2D) are directly opposite one another on either side of the central hall. Bedrooms (2C) and (2E) are accessible through east and west wall doorways in the other two bedrooms.

On the west side of the central landing is bedroom (2B) which is the master bedroom and characterized by the original Colonial Revival wallpaper, original patterned carpet, crown moldings, and molded baseboards. An ample closet and a bathroom are on the north wall of the bedroom. On the West wall of this room is a connecting door to another bedroom (2C). This bedroom's walls are wood wainscoting and reflect the interior design of the family room (1C) located below. A small set of stairs on the east wall of the room provides access. This room contains two small closets and a bathroom on the east wall.

On the east side of the central landing is bedroom (2D) that has the original Colonial Revival wallpaper, original patterned carpet, crown moldings and molded baseboards. An ample bathroom and a closet are on the north side of the room. On the east wall of this bedroom is the connecting door to bedroom (2E). Paneled in wood wainscoting, this room is also reflects the same interior design as bedroom (2C) and the family room. This room contains several small closets and a bathroom on the east wall where it gives access to the storage rooms (1F) by a small wood staircase.

This second-floor east wall connects to the first phase of the house. However, the second floor is not accessible except through the first-floor staircase located in the family room (1G). Two bedrooms (2F and 2G) and a bathroom are in this area. Both bedrooms contain small paneled wood wainscoting on the walls and carpet on the floor. The bathroom has tile flooring.

The interior design and intact features of the house, with the stylistic elements of the exterior, rendering a comprehensive expression of the integrated Greek Revival and Colonial Revival styles of architecture, in a Classic Nashville and Davidson County statement of the "Southern Colonial Revival." The house exhibits a high degree of historical integrity and is an excellent example of early twentieth-century Colonial Revival Style and design.

To the rear of the dwelling is a brick courtyard with a low-lying, circular brick water holder (c. 1940). Surrounding the large circular brick tank, now a central focal point of the courtyard, are flower gardens, bordered by a brick serpentine wall. The circular brick water tank originally held water used to air-condition the house. The water tank operated on the same principle of tanks located on top of buildings in downtown Nashville. The design was Mr. Hibbett's. The courtyard also consists of a circular fountain next to the holding tank. The brick wall, added circa, was 1985 to keep the deer out of the flower garden. However, it does not detract from the original courtyard.

To the north of the house, creating a rough semi-circle of dependencies around the main dwelling are various historic outbuildings.

To the immediate north is a large, rectangular frame nine bay horse barns (1938), which has a prominent central gable entrance. It has a concrete fountain and asphalt shingle roof.

To the west of the horse barn is the Hay Barn (c. 1970). This frame barn has a concrete foundation and a tin-covered gambrel roof.

To the east of the horse barn are two tenant houses (c.1940). The first one, located to the immediate northeast of the horse barn, is a frame, weatherboard dwelling with a concrete foundation and asphalt shingle, gable roof.

The second tenant house (c. 1940) is similar in size and style. Located to the northeast of the dwelling it is a frame, weatherboard house with concrete foundation and asphalt shingle, gable roof.

The fence patterns and field patterns of the estate are unchanged since 1938.

Brick entrance walls at the end of the drive were rebuilt several times due to automobile accidents.