A Trip Through Time
As the former home of Mobile Mayor, Martin Horst, the Ezell House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The impressive Italianate mansion standing at 407 Conti Street features 18-foot ceilings with some of the most elaborate plasterwork in Mobile. An embellished arch in the stately double parlor still stands and adorns the grandeur of the the room.
After the death of Mayor Horst, the Zoghby family moved into the Ezell House in 1923 and continued the tradition of hosting large celebrations. Over the years, the Zoghby and Naman families added on to the home and we saw the addition of the gorgeous crystal chandeliers adorning both the first and second floors. After the invention of the automobile, the Carriage House was no longer needed as stables and became a get-away for Mr. Zoghby and his friends to play poker, smoke cigars and enjoy an occasional libation or two.
In 1978 new owners moved in and the Ezell House was a residential home no longer. The circular cast iron Moongate was installed in the Courtyard, and jazz music could be heard daily as guests dined, danced and drank at Bernard's Restaurant (the eastern cousin of Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans). Many of our event guests today still remember dining at Bernard's when they were younger, and even wishing on a penny they tossed into the courtyard fountain.
In the mid 1990's the Ezell family worked to restore the Ezell House after 100 years of use and transformed the home into its current state as a wedding and special event venue. Mrs. Patricia Watters Ezell and designer, Stanley Ellis, combined their classically elegant taste with the original Italianate architecture and thus, we have come full circle as we are transported back to the 1800's and the original grandeur of the home.
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