Oak Place, one of Huntsville’s most historic antebellum mansions, will remain intact and become an “event center” for weddings and gatherings, the buyer’s building contractor confirms.

Kim McQuinn, president of McQuinn + Eastep Construction Co., said Tuesday he is the “buyer’s contractor” and is involved in the sale of the mansion and its large grounds by longtime owner East Huntsville Baptist Church. McQuinn said his company will protect and preserve the building and also be part of its future, but he declined Tuesday to name the buyer. Closing on the sale will come “in a couple of weeks,” McQuinn said.

The small Baptist church built beside the home is also part of the sale, McQuinn said, and it could continue as a wedding location.

George Steele, early Huntsville’s best-known architect, designed and built Oak Place in 1840 as his “country residence,” according to its state historic marker.

Steele also designed the Greek Revival style First National Bank that sits above the Big Spring that drew early settlers to the area that became Huntsville. The old bank building also anchors a corner of the Madison County courthouse square. Steele is well known for designing several homes in Huntsville’s Twickenham Historic District.

Oak Place is on the National Historic Register and “unique for the period with its split-level style, English basements, sliding pocket doors and other unusual architectural features,” its historic marker says. The home was occupied by union troops during the Civil War and served as headquarters for Gen. Joe Wheeler when a military camp was established in Huntsville during the Spanish-American War.

The Baptist church owned the building and land since 1960 but hasn’t used the home for church classes or events for several years. Church members were removing church property this week.

The mansion sits among large, old trees atop a hill on Maysville Road in east Huntsville. The property has been for sale for months, and its large and sloping front lawn could have ended up holding numerous modern homes or condominiums.

Katie Stamps, Huntsville’s official Historic Preservationist, said the news the home will be saved is “really exciting” and that it will be “beneficial and of use to the public.” Oak Place did not have any official protected status, she said.

Growing Huntsville has numerous venues for weddings and other celebrations but not as many in or near downtown, Stamps said. Oak Place will be a good addition to what is available, she said.

Inside the building today, the old house shows the imprint of its different owners. A large open room with fireplace and chandelier looks straight out of “Gone With the Wind,” but other areas have been altered to accommodate church classes and activities.

Upstairs, large bedrooms remain largely unchanged. The church added a modern kitchen to the back of the basement, but it may not remain.