At the end of a mile-long winding drive just off Whites Creek Pike sits the recently reopened Fontanel Mansion, with a past almost as storied as that of its former owner, legendary country music star Barbara Mandrell. Having fallen into disrepair in recent years, a Buffalo, N.Y., developer purchased the property in 2022 vowing to restore and reimagine it.
“It’s not just a property — it’s history,” says Clinton Holcomb, who bought the Fontanel and 118 surrounding acres for just over $6 million and is currently operating it as an event space.
The 30,000-square-foot custom log home was designed by local architectural firm Tuck-Hinton (rebranded in 2022 as Anecdote Architectural Experiences). The Fontanel is in good company. The firm’s other noteworthy projects include the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Music City Center and the Adventure Science Center.
Since Mandrell sold the property in 2002, it has changed hands a number of times. It was a tourist attraction, owned by local investors, from about 2010 to 2019. Then a Chicago investment group bought it, envisioning an artists’ community and resort. That project stalled right around the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2022, Clinton purchased the property at auction.
People have already held weddings, parties and corporate retreats in the mansion, which reopened in January after sitting dormant for seven years. Clinton is also open to conducting tours and organizing special events. He plans to build 135 cabins on the property, expanding the Fontanel’s reach and its possibilities. Whatever its future, Clinton says its past will always play a huge part.
“We didn’t really renovate it,” says Clinton. “What we did was restore it. And there’s a difference, right?” Many of the details unique to the house are still there, adding to its mystique. For example, in the great room, guests including Oprah, John Stamos and Chuck Norris have signed an exposed support post under a balcony. In an upstairs room designed as an ice cream parlor for Mandrell’s kids, family members’ names are listed on the wall in classic ’80s neon colors.
In addition to structural updates, Clinton has made aesthetic ones. When visitors first enter the foyer of the home, they’ll find lots of plants designed to bring the outside in. And on the back wall, they’ll see an impressionist mural by well-known artist TeliciaLee. It depicts an outdoor scene with a body of water, rolling hills and birds — as if reflecting what’s just beyond the doors of the mansion.
In the Swim
Clinton has reimagined spaces including the indoor pool area, ideal for a party or rehearsal dinner. Billowy, white ceiling drapes soften the glass pool enclosure. The pool has been covered so the room can accommodate 150 to 200 guests for a seated dinner. There’s an original custom grill that’s been restored.
“[Say] you have an event,” says Clinton. “If you want to have little skewers, you can literally have a chef here cooking skewers and pulling them right off of Barbara Mandrell’s grill. It’s just very cool.”
Bride for a Day
What was once Mandrell’s 3,000-square-foot primary suite — which included her bedroom, walk-in closet and marble bath — would now be a perfect spot for a bride and her bridesmaids to get ready. White-leather-and-brass swivel stools face a built-in vanity with a trio of curved mirrors.
There is no shortage of mirrors, crystal chandeliers (some original) and lounge areas. There’s even a gas fireplace. Nearly all the spaces can serve multiple purposes, depending on the occasion and the client’s vision.
Full House
There are myriad interesting rooms in the house, including a downstairs gun range, not far from the indoor pool. Upstairs, the wood-paneled room originally designed as an ice cream parlor for Mandrell’s children is now a speakeasy, complete with a pool and a small stage, ideal for songwriter nights.
While Clinton didn’t acquire the Inn at Fontanel (now The Grove at Whites Creek) or other surrounding businesses, there is plenty of outdoor space to enjoy, including a koi pond where he could imagine hosting one of the Bridgerton-themed tea experiences currently held at the mansion.
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