Mobile's Magnolia Manor, a popular wedding and reception venue, now for sale

Next to the sign that reads "Built 1854" and includes a now-disconnected phone number, another sign has gone up at Magnolia Manor on Spring Hill Avenue: a for-sale sign.

Bettie Weldy Smith, who owned the antebellum home and rented it out for weddings, receptions, teas and other special events, died on Aug. 13, 2014. According to her obituary, she had retired from South Central Bell/AT&T as an operations manager before working as a bridal consultant for 21 years.

Her family has decided to sell the property, according to Libba Latham, a Realtor who co-listed it with Melissa Morrissette with LLB&B Inc. Real Estate. The last wedding was held at Magnolia Manor in June, she said.

The home was listed at the end of June for $699,900. In addition to the main house, which has 4,263 square feet, the property includes a carriage house that was built in the early 1900s and most recently served as an office, and a cottage that was moved there in the mid-century from Jackson, Ala., according to Latham.

The home and other buildings occupy more than 31/2 acres, and the property features 330 front feet along Spring Hill Avenue.

The listing is unique, Latham said, because of "the historic nature of the property, a beautiful house, a large piece of land with three separate and distinct buildings. The potential is great."

She added that the house is still zoned as residential. "I can see it being either one, either residential or commercial." A new owner could continue operating it as an event venue or could open a bed-and-breakfast, she suggested. "It could be used for many different things."

The two-story home has a wide central foyer with double parlors on both sides. Its defining arched windows are reflected inside with arched doorways. The house is separated from the busy Spring Hill Avenue by a rolling lawn, and it's located next door to the Ronald McDonald House in Midtown.

Outside, there's a brick patio shaded by historic oaks - a setting that's been home to countless weddings and receptions over the years. The home was named for the stately old magnolias that dot the grounds.

The main house was built in 1854. In 1920, according to historian Tom McGehee, who wrote about it in the June 2011 issue of Mobile Bay magazine, it was purchased by Foster Kirksey Hale Jr. and his wife, Catherine. Hale, a Mobile lawyer, was shot to death in his downtown office in 1931 by his former mistress.

In 1933, Dr. Toxey Haas and his wife, Maurine, bought the home and lived there for many years, according to McGehee.

Prior to becoming one of Mobile's most popular event venues, it was a gift shop and a doctor's office.

To see a beautiful wedding that took place at Magnolia Manor last year, click here.

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