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Chattanooga’s
Mayor's Mansion Inn
(Editor's
Note: We know you love to RV, but
there are places well worth parking
the RV to spend the night. The Mayor's
Mansion Inn in Chattanooga is one
of those places.)
 Edmond
Watkins moved to Chattanooga from
Mississippi after the Civil War,
and he constructed a stone home
that was later to become known as
the Mayor's Mansion Inn. Watkins
had been a state legislator in Mississippi,
and he eventually served a two-year
term as mayor of Chattanooga, hence
the current name of his former home.
Watkins was also president of the
Lookout Mountain Railway Company
and was involved in land speculation
on Lookout Mountain.
Located
in the historic Fort Wood district
near downtown Chattanooga, the area
was originally named for a Civil
War redoubt. Today, Victorian-Era
homes decorate the district. The
Mayor's Mansion Inn is the only
house clearly Victorian Romanesque.
The stone surface, arches, decorative
tiles, and stone trim make this
building very distinctive in the
district and in the city.
Although
it was constructed in 1889, the
Mayor's Mansion Inn blends modern
conveniences with 19th century charm
to give travelers a comfortable
stay in an elegant setting. Since
assuming their proprietorship, Gene
and Carmen Fenn Drake have made
the Inn into one of Chattanooga's
top spots for travelers and for
catered events. In her previous
career, Carmen was an investment
banker for Wells Fargo, and she
put in 20 years of traveling in
her position. From that experience,
she and her husband have crafted
accommodations with everything they
wanted when traveling, such as:
coffee service out by 7 am (featuring
their own special Mansion Blend),
a 3-course gourmet breakfast every
morning (included with the room),
afternoon tea, 400 thread count
sheets, Gilchrist & Soames toiletries,
irons and ironing boards, TV/VCRs,
pre-printed directions to all the
local attractions on handy cards,
plush robes, turndown service, concierge
services, and a staff that caters
to every need.
The
amenities are the icing on the cake,
but the cake is why you should visit
the Mayor's Mansion Inn. You can
find the "cake" in all
seven rooms and four suites, each
with its own special décor. The
Laurel Falls Suite (the Honeymoon
Suite) even has a huge 300-gallon
marble soaking tub in a bay window.
This beautiful room is swathed in
more than 175 yards of designer
fabric, much of it canopy draping
the queen-sized bed that is set
three feet off the floor.
The
Scenic City Room's carved cherry
wood paneling and wainscoting can
be appreciated under a 16-foot ceiling.
The Chickamauga Suite is the largest
and offers outside views from three
sides. It is decorated in an Americana
theme with a king-sized canopy bed,
a Betsy Ross Flag, and an original
1917 Christie War Bonds Poster.
The Rising Fawn Suite has an English
armoire and a carved fireplace that
are certainly eye-appealing, as
is the king-sized four-poster bed
and the 250-gallon marble-soaking
tub. Another 19th century design
feature that you rarely see today
can be found in this suite: floor-to-ceiling
windows. The Lookout Mountain Suite
offers a picturesque view of Lookout
Mountain has an Asian theme and
décor. Antique Chinese screens provide
a perfect headboard for the king-sized
bed. The Cloudland Canyon Room,
decorated in the French provincial
style, is enhanced by a pewter king-sized
bed with its 11-foot high corona
and dainty aqua and white chintz
that cascades to the floor. The
hand-painted armoire adds to the
ambiance of this light and airy
room, as do the floor-to-ceiling
windows.
 More
"cake" can be found in
the Inn's alabaster fireplace surrounds,
Eastlake furniture, a Dutch-influenced
great sideboard, chests of drawers
converted into sinks in some bathrooms,
and other antiques adorning the
halls and rooms.
Gene
and Carmen have gone to great lengths
to make the Inn a place that antiquers
will love. Both are collectors and
had originally planned to open an
antique shop. One they considered
purchasing also had a B&B attached,
and that piqued their interest in
becoming innkeepers. Fortunately,
they brought their love for antiques
with them. Their efforts at renovating
the Inn have earned it a fourth
Diamond rating by AAA. Only four
inns in the State of Tennessee qualify
as Four Diamond inns, and the Mayor's
Mansion Inn is the only historic
inn in that select group.
To
contact the Inn or make reservations,
call 423-265-5000, email info@mayorsmansioninn.com,
or visit www.mayorsmansioninn.com.
The Mayor's Mansion Inn is located
at 801 Vine Street in Chattanooga.
The
Mayor's Mansion Inn has gone through
a few changes in the past few months.
In the beginning of the year it
acquired new owners, Gene and Carmen
Fenn Drake, who then proceeded to
renovate the property to bring it
back to its former glory. Some of
the changes included a complete
renovation of the Fort Wood Ballroom,
in which the Inn hosts many events
including: wedding receptions, corporate
meetings and anniversary dinners
to name a few. Other additions were
the renovation of the Tiffany Dining
Room and painting of the inside
and outside of the Inn.
Another
renovation to the property came
in the form of an addition. The
owners have also completed the first
phase of a Victorian garden, in
which its guests may soon relax
and enjoy organic beauty at its
finest. The most predominant change,
many will now notice, is the changing
of its name. The Mayor's Mansion
Inn, as it is now called, will be
replacing the former Adams Hilborne
Mansion Inn. Other renovations will
include various changes in the décor
of the rooms including the addition
of a Chinese-themed suite and an
Americana room. Other changes were
the upgrading of beds so the
Inn
will have 4 rooms with king-size
beds and 6 rooms with queen-sized
beds.
"We
feel the new name defines the true
history of the Inn," says Carmen
Drake, owner of the Mayor's Mansion
Inn. "Its place in the history
of Chattanooga is an important one
and our guests should know that."
The
Mayor's Mansion Inn was built in
1889 by former Chattanooga Mayor
Edmond
Watkins. This 13,000 square-foot
mansion boasts seven rooms and four
suites all with private bathsThose
looking to relax may find solitude
in the Mayor's Library and the Fort
Wood Ballroom is perfect for any
corporate event or wedding reception.
Nestled in the Fort Wood Historic
District, the Inn is conveniently
located to all of Chattanooga's
Downtown attractions including the
Historic Art District, the Tennessee
River and the Tennessee Aquarium.
Guests can enjoy a peaceful stay
while taking in all the sights the
beautiful and scenic city of Chattanooga
has to offer.
The
Mayor's Mansion Inn is dedicated
to offering the very best to its
guests. Each room offers:
- Early
morning coffee service featuring
the Mansion's own special blend
- 3-course
gourmet breakfast every morning
of your stay
- Afternoon
Tea on the weekend served in
our Mayor's Library.
- AM/FM
clock radios
- Cable
TV/VCR
- Video
Library
- Wireless
Internet access
- Iron/ironing
boards
- Luxurious
monogrammed robes
- Gilchrist
& Soames Toiletries, featuring
the English Spa Collection
- Turndown
service
- Complimentary
Personalized Concierge Services
An
interesting story about the Inn
revolves around a bullet hole in
a window pane that can still be
seen in the library. The son of
Edmond Watkins fell in love with
the daughter of a neighbor across
street, and they decided to marry.
In true Romeo-and-Juliet fashion,
both sets of parents were against
the marriage. But after much discussion
and many reassurances from the young
lovers, the parents agreed to the
wedding.
One
day, the young woman looked out
her window and saw her betrothed
through the library window kissing
another woman. Incensed, she grabbed
a pistol, marched outside and fired
a shot at the couple through the
window. Fortunately, she missed-because
it was not her fiancee, but his
brother kissing a girlfriend. But
unfortunately, the young woman was
in such a rage that she had stalked
outside in the dead of winter without
dressing properly. She soon contracted
pneumonia and died on her wedding
day.
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