While Andrew Jackson was still president in 1834, Andrew Jackson Donelson decided to build Tulip Grove on land near the Hermitage. He enlisted Nashville master builders William C. Hume and Joseph Reiff, who were working on rebuilding the Hermitage mansion after a fire, to undertake the construction.[3][4]
The house was completed in 1836 with the original name of "Poplar Grove." Former president Martin Van Buren allegedly suggested Donelson rename it Tulip Grove during a visit in 1842.[3]
In April 1858, Donelson sold the property to wool producer Mark R. Cockrill.[5] Other owners included Thomas O. Treanor and Mary Andrews Treanor, whose daughter, the painter Mayna Treanor Avent (1868–1959), was born there.[6]
Lawsuit
In 1914, Charles Buntin and Jane Berry Buntin purchased the home and surrounding property. On March 11, 1964, Jane Buntin deeded the mansion and 26.33 acres surrounding it to the Ladies' Hermitage Association (LHA), now known as the Andrew Jackson Foundation. In return, the LHA agreed to pay Buntin, "her heirs and assigns, for a period of ninety-nine (99) years from and after March 1, 1964 one-third (1/3) of all gate receipts received by Grantee from visitors to Tulip Grove House located on said land, which payments are to be made on a monthly basis."[7]
From 1965 to 2001, the LHA paid the Buntin family over $300,000 from ticket sales. In 2001, the LHA discontinued the tours, citing their lack of profitability, and began using Tulip Grove as an event space. This change resulted in the Buntin family receiving a $1,200 annual payment instead of a portion of ticket sales. In 2007, members of the Buntin family filed suit against the LHA for breach of contract.[7]
In 2012, the Tennessee Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that the LHA had not breached the contract, but it also ruled that the Buntin family was due a portion of revenue generated by special events held at Tulip Grove.[7]
Architecture
Tulip Grove is representative of the antebellumGreek Revival style that was popular before the American Civil War. It consists of two main stories, a basement, and an attic.[8]
^Cheathem, Mark R. (2007). Old Hickory's Nephew: The Political and Private Struggles of Andrew Jackson Donelson. LSU Press. p. 309. ISBN978-0-8071-3565-5.
