The Madelyn began its humble roots as a family homestead & dairy farm belonging to the Rutdledge’s of Monroe, Ohio, where it remained in their family for more than a century until it was purchased by Anthony Greco.
Anthony Greco was born and raised in Calabria, Italy, where he lived out his childhood before setting out to pursue the American Dream as a young adult in 1952. He arrived in the U.S. with little money to his name, became a naturalized citizen and eventually settled in Ohio with his wife and four children. Anthony enjoyed a 26-year engineering career with Armco Steel, establishing his presence within the community.
Anthony and his wife pursued the dream of owning land with room to expand. This was the year they fortuitously came across a 63-acre fixer-upper with incredible potential, owned by the Rutdledge family.
With the goal of building a winery and a generational family legacy, they made the choice to purchase the land and the 2 barns, 5 buildings, and the 10-room farmhouse that stood on it. After renovating and fixing up the old place by hand, Anthony soon began fulfilling his passion for making and selling wine.
Anthony spent many hours in the winery, selling wine and entertaining locals with tales of rich European history. And over the years, the growing Greco family enjoyed many events and get-togethers at the winery and family farm, all of which instilled a deep love for the history and dreams it represented.
But as the years passed, Anthony made the difficult decision to retire from his winemaking business and sell the family farm. And unfortunately, it was purchased by a buyer who intended to tear down the historic buildings on site.
At this time, Anthony’s son Vince, who spent many hours working the farm and helping his father with the winery, made the decision alongside his wife, Susie, (already Ohio to Texas transplants) to pursue a new Greco American Dream of their own. A dream that would honor Anthony and Antoinette’s pursuit of building a legacy for future generations of the Greco family.
Vince and Susie, with the assistance of their eldest son, A.J, made the bold decision to completely relocate “grandpa’s” Ohio barns and buildings from the 1800’s all the way to Collinsville, TX.
And it was here, in North Texas, that the family legacy continued by forging the Greco family from Anthony’s roots in Italy to Texas.
With the naming of the venue after Anthony’s eldest great-granddaughter, Madelyn, The Madelyn Venue & GuestHouse was founded.
The true Amish craftsmen of Schwartz’s Timber Frames from Bern, IN were hired to disassemble, relocate, and reassemble the Ohio buildings. Vince, Susie and AJ carefully coordinated a group effort including AJ’s siblings, Alex, Ollie & Paige, along with numerous friends and community members to assist them in bringing their vision for The Madelyn to life.
They found great importance in ensuring The Madelyn maintained its 19th-century authenticity by salvaging the wood from their family’s farm and other historic buildings built in the same era. The Madelyn was carefully built using the mortise and tenon barn frame that was erected by the first settlers on the Monroe farm, who sourced aged oak trees from their private land to build it by hand.
To this day, the Greco family takes pride in the repurposing of the 100+ year old wood that lines The Madelyn’s interior, lending to the charming warmth and essence of rich history that couples and guests feel as they enter the building.
Careful consideration was taken to house the history of the Ohio barns and farm buildings which is evident by the attention to detail in the interior construction and repurposing of materials.
While the original frame is intact within the building, the Greco’s had a greater vision in mind, and so The Madelyn was expanded to 10,000 square feet of event space perfect for celebrating once-in-a-lifetime occasions.
The opulence of the venue with its 31-foot vaulted ceilings and open-air exposed barn beams showcases the grandness of another era. And knowing Texas weather, they added a 3,000 square foot covered outdoor chapel with a picturesque westward view that makes spectacular backdrop for ceremonies & signature sunset photos.
The barn beams showcase the generation of another era and are accentuated by the barn’s original pine siding on the venue ceiling, suite and hallway walls. Committed to using repurposed materials, the venue walls are oak siding from two repurposed Kentucky tobacco barns. Every piece of barn wood used was heat pressure washed and burnished before being repurposed, logging in countless manpower hours, all done with the help of family and friends.
The centerpiece of the venue features a 27’ grand staircase custom-built by the same Amish craftsmen who relocated the Ohio barns to Texas. The stairs/risers are repurposed floor joists from the Ohio farmhouse, while the stringers are 150-year-old logs used as hay loft joists from those Kentucky tobacco barns, and the newels & railings are repurposed barn beams. Atop the staircase is the landing which provides a sweeping view of the venue as it leads to the Bride and Groom Suites.
Staying true to the family’s desire to continue the “life” of the Ohio property, the floors in the farmhouse were also salvaged. The venue landing floor came out of Anthony’s 2nd-floor office, with the groom’s suite flooring a combination of bedroom and parlor room flooring. The hardwood floors in the Bridal Suite were repurposed to the farmhouse by Grandpa but originally came from a stagecoach station (circa the mid-1800s) in Dayton, Ohio. Both suites are walled with the same pine that covers the venue ceiling, originally the barn siding. The Groom’s suite became the new home for tackle pegs from the horse barn, providing the perfect spot to hang garment bags. As the structure was re-erected in 2019, carefully planned details were incorporated to include everything needed to host your special day in a very elegant setting.
The GuestHouse is original to Texas! Over the years, it has been expanded from a small two-bedroom “shot-gun style” farmhouse to what is now a modern-day farmhouse, offering sleeping accommodations for up to 8 guests. Each room in the house embraces the warm feel of country living with the elegance of today’s modern necessities. The large back patio has a sweeping view to the west, a perfect place to enjoy the evening sunset. We invite your wedding party, family, and special guests to relax in comfortable accommodations before and after your wedding.
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