Tucked in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Sylacauga is Pursell Farms, a sprawling 3,200-acre resort that offers sweeping views of several counties. In March, Pursell Farms opened the doors to the Inn, the latest in the resort’s numerous amenities.

Birmingham-based ArchitectureWorks designed the 40-room, three-story Inn, and Macknally Land Design helped with landscape architecture. Though the Inn is all new construction, it connects to an existing building that houses a lobby, bar, restaurant, commercial kitchen, meeting space and a fitness center. This building that was renovated had been an office building for Pursell Technologies.

The renovated office building contains Arrington, a restaurant that offers locally sourced farm and garden cuisine, and Old Tom’s Pub, a Scottish golf pub and sports bar with view of the 18th fairway with a Scottish and American menu. The renovation of this building also included adding a 4,000 square-foot commercial kitchen and a large meeting space.

“The design of the Inn at Pursell Farms is drawn largely from the existing context around the farm with an emphasis on taking advantage of views of the beautiful landscape,” explains project architect Ryan Coleman.

“In some ways the buildings at Pursell Farms are accessory to the experience of the landscape. The buildings around the farm have an established, sophisticated but relaxed aesthetic, directed by Pursell Farms owner Ellen Pursell. Our goal for the Inn was to stay within that context while finding opportunities to highlight views of the landscape.”

Coleman says the challenges faced were similar to most projects, and centered mostly on the schedule.

“The advantage this project had was that everyone involved worked as a team with a common goal to make this project the best it could be, regardless of the circumstances,” he adds.

“ArchitectureWorks, along with JohnsonKreis, the contractor, and Pursell Farms, tried to make decisions swiftly in order have the least amount of impact on the schedule as possible. We could not have been happier about being a part of this team. We also completed a new wedding venue for the resort just prior to opening of the Inn called Hamilton Place.”

Image 1- Pursell Farms in Sylacauga is a 3,200-acre resort that offers panoramic views of several counties. The design goal for the Inn was to find opportunities to highlight the idyllic views of the landscape.

Image 2 -The buildings on the farm have an established, sophisticated but relaxed aesthetic. The 40-room, three-story Inn is all new construction and connects to an existing building that houses a lobby, bar, restaurant, commercial kitchen, meeting space and a fitness center.

Image 3 -The project also included renovating an office building that is now home to two restaurants. The renovation of this building also includes a 4,000 square-foot commercial kitchen and a large meeting space.

*Article Written By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Pursell Farms and Macknally Land Design