Photos by Justin Cook | The Roanoke Times

Nesselrod on the New was known for its cozy accommodations and garden weddings until April, when owners Hal and Cheryl Gillespie moved and it was put up for sale. The inn was purchased in December by local investors Nesselrod LLC.

The Nesselrod on the New has four theme guest rooms — the Lilac, Lily of the Valley (shown), Enchanted Garden and Oriental Lily.

FAIRLAWN -- For the past 70 years, Nesselrod on the New has provided rest with a river view.

The inn was known for its cozy accommodations and garden weddings until April, when owners Hal and Cheryl Gillespie moved and it was put up for sale.

The inn was purchased in December by local investors Nesselrod LLC, and staff started accepting reservations Monday and giving tours to couples interested in holding wedding ceremonies there.

There are a few new pieces of furniture and new mattresses, but mostly the inn's four theme guest rooms -- the Lilac, Lily of the Valley, Enchanted Garden and Oriental Lily -- will stay the same, manager Rebecca Parks said.

"There will be the same elegance, but there will be a different feel to the house," Parks said.

There has been some minor work done to the gardens, including the removal of some bushes for easier access for wedding guests, wedding coordinator Tanya White said.

Management is also planning the addition of outdoor fountains to help cover the noise of traffic from nearby Memorial Bridge, which carries U.S. 11 over the New River between Radford and Pulaski County.

There are also plans to offer a Sunday summer music series in the inn's sunken garden, Park said.

A stage will be added for the series, which will include all kinds of music, the schedule for which has not been released.

"We want to have something for everyone," Park said.

There once were plans by Roanoke firm Smith/Packett to buy the property and turn it into a facility of 50 independent-living apartments, 34 assisted-living units and 20 memory-care units. It would have employed about 50 staff members.

But the deal fell through when the parties couldn't agree on a price.

The Pulaski County Board of Supervisors had already rezoned the land and approved a special-use permit to allow Smith/Packett to build.

The house was built in the 1930s by the late Grace Nesselrodt and her husband, Minor Wine Thomas. The home's gardens were designed by architect Everette Fauber in 1939, featuring a formal garden, a sunken terraced garden and a walkway garden behind the guesthouse.

It was originally known as Nesselrodt on the New, but the "t" was later dropped.

Nesselrod was then purchased by the Gillespies and remodeled, opening in 1999 as a bed-and-breakfast.

The intimate nature of Nesselrod on the New fits in well with the surrounding area businesses, said Peggy White, executive director of the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce.

When the inn closed, White said she was sad to see it go and thought the reopening would benefit the area.

"Right now, any business is good business, but I think they've always added a new dimension to the area," White said.

"This area has become a real destination with the mountains, and they offer something unique."