Ravenswood's first cousin still home to descendents
By AMY STUMPFL
For Brentwood Home Page
Built in 1845 by James Hazard Wilson II, Oak Hall represents a significant piece of Williamson County’s rich history. But for family descendent James P. (Jimmy) Wilson III and his wife Sarah, Oak Hall is also home.
So when the Brentwood couple embarked on a major expansion project last year, they knew they had to find a way to balance the property’s unique historic character with the need for modern conveniences.
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 Above, the Wilson's new kitchen features all the modern conveniences, while honoring the home's history.
At left, the original exterior wall is still visible, as you enter the vestibule which connects the home's addition.
Below, the original fireplace and poplar floors still stand in this room, which originally served as a servants' quarters.
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 Above, original beams were reclaimed and used in third-story renovation.
At right, note the Roman numerals, which were used to assist in the assembly/building process.
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“We wanted a modern living space that would complement the original structure, but we weren’t trying to create an exact replica,” says Jimmy Wilson, who has lived in the antebellum home since 1987 and celebrated its historical marking in November 1988. “We wanted to honor the original concept, but needed it to flow well and to be comfortable.”
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Related story:
Oak Hall helps host Rendevous at Ravenswood. Click here
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Wilson enlisted the help of longtime friend Michael Marchetti as architect and builder. As owner of The Marchetti Company, a Nashville-based architectural and general contracting firm, Marchetti is widely known for his award-winning work as a renovator and custom builder.
“Jimmy had a very specific idea of what he wanted,” Marchetti says. “But to me, the big challenge was to create a sense of hierarchy – complementing the historic home without competing or copying it.”
Marchetti started preliminary design work in March 2010, and the team – including project manager Mike Moran – began construction in mid-June. Most of the renovations were completed by late December – just in time to host the Wilson Family Reunion.
“It came right down to the wire, but we made it,” Wilson says. “And we couldn’t have been more thrilled with the results.”
In fact, the finished product presents a delightful marriage of old and new. The thoroughly modern 30’ x 56’ addition includes an open kitchen, dining and living area, with natural light spilling into the room through an attractive cupola. This new structure is connected to the original home by an 8-foot glass vestibule, which indents slightly from the outer walls – and provides the perfect enclave for Sarah’s spacious laundry area and even a built-in desk/work space for son Felix.
“The use of the vestibule was to serve mainly as a transition from the old to the new,” Marchetti explains. “It separates, while at the same time, ties together the existing two-story home with the subordinate one-story addition.”
Marchetti’s design included a gable roof with parapet walls and double stacked chimneys at either end of the new structure – reflecting the home’s original roof, which had been destroyed by a tornado in the early 1900s.
“I wanted this addition to borrow from how the original house looked prior to the 1904 tornado, so we are essentially reclaiming the past,” he says. “The two chimneys act almost as bookends – it’s a nice effect.”
This idea of “borrowing from the past” is a recurring theme throughout the home. For example, the exposed beams in the new addition may not be reclaimed wood, but they closely resemble the beams found in the original building. Marchetti also accented the new kitchen’s oversized island, using the simplified Doric pilaster design found in the original porch columns.
He even found a way to connect an original two-story outbuilding – once used as a kitchen – to the new structure, using a practical yet stylish breezeway or “dogtrot.”
“I couldn’t believe he found a way to tie in the old kitchen,” Sarah Wilson says, noting that the space is now used for guests. “It’s really beautiful, and it looks as if it’s always been part of the main house.”
But one of the Wilson’s favorite touches is the rambling porch, which helped establish a more welcoming entry – and effectively changed the back of the house to the front.
“The problem was that the home was originally built facing Wilson Pike, but once the [Louisville and Nashville Railroad] came through in 1914, we were kind of cut off,” Jimmy says. “So people had to drive by the back of our house, and from the road it almost looked uninhabited.”
Marchetti agrees.
“This presented a challenge in that we did not want to reduce the significance of the main entrance, yet the owners needed a more usable and inviting daily entrance,” he says. “I believe we were successful by adding a one-story front porch to our ‘secondary’ entrance and maintaining vehicular and pedestrian access to the more prominent two-story entrance at its original front.”
It may sound confusing, but once you step inside the charming Wilson residence, the transition is remarkably seamless.
“Everyone who comes to visit comments on how well it all flows together,” Jimmy says. “And although we used new brick and other materials in the addition, it matches up incredibly well. You have to be up pretty close to tell the difference, which is a real testament to the artisans who worked with Marchetti. And it’s amazing what a difference that little 8-foot section makes in terms of tying it all together.
“We’re so pleased with how it all turned out,” he adds. “We enjoy entertaining and sharing our home with friends and the community. It’s a wonderful way to honor the Wilson legacy and the part our family played in local history.”
The Wilsons will be sharing their home with about 200 people next Thursday, when Oak Hall serves as the dinner site for Rendevous at Ravenswood, a benefit for the Brentwood Historic Commission.
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