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A Tour of the Mansion This elegant European style home was built in 1911 by Bona Allen Sr. and family. Bona Allen founded the booming tannery business in Buford in the late 1800's and became one of the wealthiest men in the Southeast by the early 1900's. The grand estate was completely restored in the mid 1980's and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The mansion has 17 rooms, twelve foot ceilings, original carved wood paneling, intricate moldings, stained glass windows, and seven fireplaces. The magnificent two story grand entry showcases an original Italian wall mural. The home sits on six walled acres of grounds and gardens with five original out buildings including a carriage house, well house, garden house, and a caretaker's cottage. Since 1995, the estate has been owned by Douglas Thome. With over twenty years of experience in the catering and special events industry, he and his staff are dedicated to producing some of the finest events in the Southeast. Attention to detail, quality, and service set Bona Allen Mansion apart. Bona Allen Mansion creates an incredible setting for any event. |
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The Veranda is used in different ways depending on the event. The most common use is for dancing during a reception. A band or DJ may set-up under the awning at the end of the Veranda allowing a large open area for guests to mingle or dance. If an event is over 175 guests, a second bar is sometimes set-up at the opposite end of the Veranda at the top of the steps. Small tables for seating may also be set-up down the breezeway.
You may enter the main house through the leaded glass door which will lead you in to the Blue Room. This room is used for the main bar. The antique sideboard under the photo of the mansion is where the guest book would be placed. The original Master Bathroom is located through the door at the back of the room.
From the Blue Room, you will pass through to the Grand Entry. The mural over the main fireplace was painted in 1912 by an Italian artist and depicts the Castello Villa Franca in Rome. This beautiful room may be used for indoor wedding ceremonies; seating up to 50 guests on the main floor with the remainder of the guests standing in the balcony overlooking. If the ceremony is taking place outdoors, the wedding cake and groom’s cake may be displayed here creating a lovely setting for toasting and cutting the cake. Although dancing is not allowed inside the mansion, a couple’s "first dance" may be done in the Grand Entry.
The Library The Informal Dining Room After crossing through the Grand Entry you will enter the Library and the Informal Dining Room. These rooms accommodate guest seating. If you would like to have seating reserved for family or bridal party members, we recommend reserving the tables in the Library.
The Formal Dining Room is located at the end of the Main House. If you are planning to have a buffet style reception, the main dining table would be used for food display. We will be happy to coordinate the colors of the buffet to suit your reception. Additional tables may be set-up in the Formal Dining Room for carving stations, fruit displays, or cakes. The enclosed Porch adjacent to the Formal Dining Room may be used for guest seating or for additional food display depending on your selected menu. If you walk back toward the Grand Entry, you will see the Main Staircase to your left. At the top of the first flight of stairs, you will see the beautiful stained glass windows which are original to the mansion. The window seat underneath is used to display the wedding gifts during a reception.
Continuing up the stairs, you will come to the three sided Balcony. Additional seating is available in this area and guests have a wonderful view of the Grand Entry below. There have been many wonderful photographs taken from the Balcony. The rooms to the right of the Balcony comprise the private living quarters of the owner. These rooms are always closed during events. The Groom's Dressing Room The Bride's Dressing Room
The Porch Adjoining the Bride's Dressing Room On the opposite side of the Balcony, you will find two lovely dressing rooms which may be used by the bridal party if your ceremony is being held at the mansion. The room with the 4-poster bed is the Groom’s Dressing Room and the room with the sleigh bed along with the adjacent Porch comprise the Bride’s Dressing Room. Each room has a private bath.
After you have completed your tour, please feel free to look through our selection of photograph albums which are located in the Library. You may also tour the grounds and gardens and see several beautiful locations for outdoor ceremonies. The two most popular locations for outdoor ceremonies are the Front Steps and the Courtyard Garden. We hope you have enjoyed visiting Bona Allen Mansion. If you would like additional
information on holding your wedding at the mansion, please call Cindy Harris,
Director of Sales. (Tuesday-Thursday 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. and Friday
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.) She will be happy to assist you with anything you may
need and will also be happy to do a full estimate for you. We hope to hear
from you soon. |
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The tour
begins on the Veranda adjacent to the Main Drive:
The
Blue Room
The
Grand Entry
The Formal Dining Room
The Balcony
The Front Steps
The Courtyard Garden