A History of Rucker Place Wedding Venue in Birmingham, AL

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Feb. 29, 2016 - PRLog -- Rucker Place, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the "Rucker Agee House," contained a romantic component from its construction in 1900.  Louise Rucker Agee and her husband Walter built their home on property given to them as a wedding gift by Mrs. Agee‘s father, General Edmund Winchester Rucker. Mr. Agee was a wholesale and retail grain merchant on Morris Avenue.

The Rucker and Agee families' prominent roles in Birmingham history add cachet to a house brimming with architectural character. A Tennessean and civil engineer, General Rucker was a Confederate war hero who fought with Nathan Bedford Forrest and lost an arm in the Battle of Nashville. According to the Birmingham Historical Society, Rucker came to Birmingham in the early 1880's and made his fortune in railroads, iron and coal, and banking. As a widower father of three, he purchased a large tract of land on Twelfth Avenue South in the Town of Highland and built a magnificent home on the site where Ramsay High School stands today. Locally known as "Nabob Hill," the prestige address was also home to the mansions of General Robert D. Johnston,

Louise Agee Wrinkle, granddaughter of the original owners of Rucker Place, fondly remembers strolling the short distance from St. Man/s Episcopal Church to share a soft drink with her grandparents on Sunday mornings. Her great grandfather was one of the church's founding members.  "My grandmother kept Coca-Colas on the big back porch where it was cool," she recalled. "In those days anything left out- side in Birmingham was quickly covered with soot, and my grandmother had to wipe off the bottles before we could drink from them."

The Agees loved the house for a half century until their deaths in the early l950s and raised three sons and two daughter there. In the days before air conditioning much of family life occurred on the huge wrap-around double decker porches. The rear of the house soars a full three stories, and Louise Wrinkle laughing marveled that with five children and eight grandchildren enjoying boisterous play not a one ever fell over the porch rails. She also remembered the top floor of the house as every grandchild's ideal aerie for indoor play. The attic was floored and divided into rooms but not used as living quarters.  While the upper level was renovated use as a family apartment by owner Dr. J. Clayton Davie, who used home as his physician's office, it was Gail Thompson's vision to translate into guest rooms, including a sumptuous bridal suite. The four guest rooms are architecturally intriguing with angled ceilings and dormer nooks.  Clerestory windows are floor level in one bedroom.

Historic preservation consultant Linda Nelson, who advised the Thompsons on restoration of Rucker Place, confirmed the value to the community of insuring the future of a tangible symbol of the past. She cited quality of construction, architectural ii styling, and the fact that the house had not been significantly damaged by alteration from residence to business as factors contributing to the home's significance. "The Rucker-Agee home was nominated for the National Register at the instigation of the State Historical Commission. The Thompsons are going to keep the house loved, appreciated and occupied. Festivity and life are being restored to Rucker Place."

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