Adams Hilborne Mansion is in historic Fort Wood section of Chattanooga.
photo by John Wilson
Almost 30 years after the land was defaced by the horrors of the Civil War, one of Chattanooga’s most beautiful mansions was built, a replica of the golden Victorian age and a landmark as significant as the battlefields of yesterday and the attractions of today.
Named for a Civil War redoubt which crowned the summit until the 1880’s, the Fort Wood District displays an architectural collage of building trends from 1880 to 1920, reflecting a variety of Victorian and Neoclassical styles.
Among these architectural wonders is the Adams Hilborne Mansion, a beautiful inn and restaurant honored on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wendy and David Adams, the proprietors of the inn, purchased and restored the mansion in 1995, recreating the 1889 glory of the home. The intricate hand-carvings, fluted columns and arches add a Romanesque flare to the grandeur of the structure.
Arches enhance the doors of several rooms, including the front door, and lions run rampant along the front porch and in The Ambassador’s Hall. From Tiffany stained glass windows and marble fireplaces to antique furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows, the Adams Hilborne Mansion offers an escape into the past with today’s comforts.
One of the inn’s greatest features is its art collection. With a painting circa 1620 painted by an artist of the Rembrandt School hanging in The Mayor’s Library, a canvas of “Ladybird” Johnson in The Ambassador’s Hall, several portraits and busts of the Adams family’s ancestors scattered throughout the home, and a mural representing a compensatory illusion of sitting in the midst of pristine wilderness painted by Michael Stuart Maguire in 1997 located in The Ladies’ Withdrawing Room, the mansion draws you into its artful elegance and romantic aura.
Another feature that delights guests is the Adams Hilborne Restaurant. The Porch Café offers light and casual meals that guests can partake of on the Porch, in the Library, or in their room. Specialties of The Porch Café include the Soup Du Jour, a choice of New England Clam Chowder or Cream of Asparagus; the Hilborne’s wonderful house salad which includes strawberries, black pepper, blue cheese sprinkles, and almonds over mixed greens with Balsamic Vinaigrette; and another specialty of the Café, the Hilborne Spagetti, made with the family’s own tomato and meat sauce recipe.
For a more elegant meal in the atmosphere of a true Southern home, the Hilborne’s dinner menu offers Classic Southern Fried Chicken served with Vegetable Du Jour and, of course, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, a staple in the South. Other delicacies include the Chicken Ricotta, Trout ALA Champagne, and the Roast Beef at the Hilborne, each served with delicious sides such as mashed potatoes, wild rice, fruit salsa, and vegetable du jour.
The Inn also has an extensive wine list that includes a wonderful array of white and red wines. The selections of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are only a few among a myriad of excellent choices that invigorate the palate.
And, of course, no meal is complete without the final course, dessert. The Inn’s daily desserts range from traditional Cheese Cake and Carrott Cake to Chocolate Confusion, Coconut Cake, and Strawberry Amaretto.
From spending a romantic weekend in the Royal or Anniversary Suite to hosting your banquets or wedding receptions and rehearsal dinners in The Tiffany Dinning Room and Fortwood Ballroom, the Adams Hilborne Mansion is the perfect location for both your getaways and your get-togethers.
For more information or to make reservations at the Inn, call the Adams Hilborne Mansion at 423/265-5000 or visit their web site at www.innjoy.com.
Wendy Adams shows off fineries of mansion on Vine Street.
photo by John Wilson