DANVILLE
Sponsored by The Garden Club of Danville and
The Gabriella Garden Club
Thursday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Chairmen:
Barbara M. Pleasant (Mrs. Dan M.)
161 Stratford Place
Danville, VA 24541
Telephone: (434) 797-5738
E-Mail: danpleasant@comcast.net
Patsi Compton (Mrs. Michael H.)
304 Cherry L.ane
Danville, VA 24541
Telephone: (434) 792-0773
E-Mail: mhcptc@verizon.net
Co-Chairmen:
Kim Gentry (Mrs. William J., Jr.)
220 Hawthorne Drive
Danville, VA 24541
Telephone: (434) 793-1011
E-Mail: Gentry4@comcast.net
Wendy Hermann (Mrs. Mark)
428 Maple Lane
Danville, VA 24541
Telephone: (434) 792-0702
E-Mail: w.splinter@gamewood.net
FULL TICKET: $20; single-site admission, $10. Children 13 and older, full price; ages 6-12, half-price; ages 5 and under, free of charge. Children younger than age 17 must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets may be purchased on tour day at any of the houses open for the tour. Houses need not be visited in the order listed.
ADVANCE TICKETS: Available at The Gingerbread House & Garden Center, 1799 Memorial Dr. (434) 791-2700; Main Street Coffee Emporium, 547 Main St. (434) 792-4252; Southern Gourmet, 220 Mount Cross Rd. (434) 799-0523; Foxglove, 1011 W. Main St. (434) 792-2521; Rippe’s 559 Main St. (434) 792-6822; Dixie Bags, 136 S. Ridge St. (434) 793-2838. For internet tickets, please access www.VAGardenweek.org.
REFRESHMENTS: Light refreshments served at The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History from 1 to 5 p.m.
SPECIAL ACTIVITIES: Two flower arranging demonstrations will be held near the Butterfly Station & Garden at The Danville Science Center. Times for these events will be posted on your tour tickets.
NOTE: All houses are within zip code 24541.
522 BRIDGE STREET. When the old Burton factory was built in 1870, little did local residents know that it would one day contain luxury condominiums as lovely as number 2 C. The acclaimed Plug and Twist tobacco was once manufactured where there are now stylish residences with modern kitchens and bathrooms amid the original massive timbers, sliding fire doors and exposed brick walls. A future retirement home in this historic Warehouse District, number 2 C has traditional furnishings, both elegant and comfortable. One of the owner’s favorites is the large narrative painting above the living room sofa. A cherished collection of blue and white china, each piece having a story to tell, is displayed in a corner cupboard which is topped by her first purchase, a large, handsome platter.
The open kitchen is defined by exposed beams and contains granite countertops, one functioning as a serving table on the living room side. With no windows in the dining room, a mirrored folding screen on the wall reflects light. The guestroom is really the grandchildren’s room with twin spool beds and toys waiting. In the owner’s white-on-white bedroom, the focal point is the stunning window treatment; between floor-length white silk sheers is a delicate panel of hand-embroidered chinoiserie from Switzerland. Open for the first time. Ms. Dorothy Brown Hodges, owner.
Danville—854 Main Street
854 MAIN STREET. Built in 1885 by Wm. H. Lipscomb, this stately red brick home on Danville’s Millionaires Row combines Italian and French Renaissance influences, including colored slate on the octagonal portion of the projecting bay and a bracketed cornice with drilled and sawn details. A herringbone-patterned brick walkway lined with seasonal plantings leads to the L-shaped porch, where two sets of arched doors with transoms open into the center hall.
Deep egg-and-dart moldings, cast-plaster ceiling medallions, and period-appropriate chandeliers adorn the main rooms. The house is filled with family heirlooms, including two prized letters: one from Mr. Rayner’s great-grandfather, a clipper-ship captain from Massachusetts, to President John Quincy Adams, and President Adams’ signed response. In the updated kitchen, French doors open to a spacious deck, shaded by a large curly willow, and the long expanse of a landscaped garden. Crape myrtles, boxwoods and flower beds filled with blooming spring plants are enclosed by an iron fence. A recently added screened gazebo offers serene views of the home and a goldfish pond with fountain. Open for the first time by owners Rae Bertellotti and her husband Robert Rayner.
129 SUTHERLIN AVENUE. Temple Beth Sholom, a distinctive red brick Romanesque Revival edifice with a conical corner belfry, was built in 1900 in the Historic District by a congregation formed in 1893. Its name means House of Peace; its noted architect-builder was R.B. Graham. To the left of the double-door entrance is a stained-glass window created and presented in 1993 by Danville artisan Albert Koplen. Flanking the sanctuary, the original stained-glass windows are enhanced by colors introduced in the recent extensive refurbishing. The high Romanesque ceiling is constructed with complex trusses and rounded arches. Graceful curved pews face the pulpit below the Eternal Light signifying the continuing presence of God, the Holy Ark housing the Hebrew scrolls of the Torah, and a stained-glass depiction of Moses holding the Law.
Downstairs, new flooring has been placed in the social hall and down the corridor of the 1960s annex. Nineteenth-century records are preserved under glass in the stair hall, and collections of Judaica, ranging from gleaming Lenox to colorful handcrafts, are among the many memorials on permanent display. Behind the building is a wooden framework for the Sukkah, a booth temporarily covered every year with branches and leaves during the harvest festival of Sukkat. Open for the first time for Historic Garden Week.
284 WEST MAIN STREET. This recently restored American Georgian Revival style red brick home with stick mortar joints was designed by local architect J. Bryant Heard and built in 1922 for tobacconist Emmett F. Magee. The current owner, an interior designer who purchased the property in 2007, has been restoring, updating and furnishing the home with period-appropriate detailing. The two European mirrors over the living room and library mantels were purchased by Mr. Magee and have been preserved to reflect the beautiful multilayered moldings, painted ceilings, several original chandeliers and wall sconces in these rooms, as well as an added antique brass chandelier in the dining room.
The first-floor formal rooms and entrance hall contain many antiques, including restored cabinets, numerous tables of distinctive design, a variety of chairs with original coverings, rugs, wall art and interesting artifacts. Accenting the large windows and spacious rooms are beautiful window treatments of red silk in the dining room and yellow silk for the living room. The totally restored kitchen features white cabinets with carved fleur-de-lis amid other carvings, all by a talented local carpenter. Kitchen appliances are embedded within the cabinets, and there are blue-pearl granite and cherry-wood countertops. Many antique items can be seen through the glass doors of the lighted cabinets. Blues and yellows of many hues are seen throughout in wall coverings, paints, fabrics, rugs and among the owner’s myriad collections. This home is full of beauty and intrigue wherever a visitor looks. Ms. Brenda Brokaw, owner.
215 ANDOVER PLACE. On a sloping lawn in Windsor Heights, this Tudor-style residence was built in 1977 for Bryce Luffman and extensively renovated by the present owner over the past two years. Slate flooring, black wrought-iron stair railings and elegant molding distinguish the foyer. The same slate floor extends into the powder room. Both the living room and dining room have lemony green walls, botanical prints and paintings, and lovely views of the surrounding trees. The dining room ceiling is decorated with molding to match the wainscoting, and a Waterford chandelier illuminates a traditional mahogany table and a mirrored sideboard. In the kitchen, countertops are granite. Stainless-steel appliances include a wine refrigerator.
The breakfast room beyond is at one end of the spacious den, which features a broad fireplace and built-in shelves and opens to a rear deck. Adjoining the den is a sunroom in lemon green, with dark wicker furniture on a white tile floor. The sunroom opens to a rear deck where steps lead down to a basement-level terrace surrounded by an area with “wrought-iron” fencing made of aluminum. Upstairs are five bedrooms, including the capacious master suite with a carved mahogany king-size four-poster and a state-of-the-art bath. Open for the first time. Mr. Jay Davis, owner.
Other Places of Interest
117 BROAD STREET. The Langhorne House, a National Literary landmark, is listed also in both the National and Virginia Registries of Historic Places. Built in 1874, this is the partially restored birthplace of Nancy Langhorne, Viscountess Astor, first woman to sit in the British House of Commons. It is also the childhood home of her sister Irene, who married the artist Charles Dana Gibson and was immortalized by him as the “Gibson Girl,” international fashion ideal of the turn of the 20th century. The master bedroom and the parlor have been renovated and family portraits, photographs and memorabilia are on display. Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the day of the tour, the house is usually open on Saturdays from 2 to 5 p.m. and at other times by appointment. Telephone (434) 791-2256.
677 CRAGHEAD STREET. The Danville Science Center is housed in two historic buildings in the heart of the old tobacco warehouse district. Science Station is the former Southern Railway passenger station designed by architect Frank P. Milburn and built in 1899. The handsome structure features numerous arched windows and a broad frieze with decorative brickwork and still operates overnight as an active Amtrak Station. The second building, Science Central, is the old Southern Railway Administration building that has been enhanced with a large addition to house major exhibit galleries. One of the many interesting features is the seasonal Butterfly Station & Garden adjacent to the Science Station. The butterfly area was opened in 1999 as a community service project to beautify the district and highlight environmental issues surrounding the decline of natural landscapes necessary for butterflies to thrive. Each of the plants in the garden is chosen specifically for its role in the lifecycle of a species of North American butterfly. Located within a complex known as The Crossing at the Dan, the Science Center serves as an anchor for Danville’s revitalization of the district. Open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the day of the Danville tour.
975 MAIN STREET. The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History is located within the restored 1859 Sutherlin Mansion, one of the finest examples of Italian Villa architecture in Virginia. Designed by F.B. Clopton, the building is enhanced by a picket fence, a reproduction of the one in place there in the late 1880s, and a restoration project of the Garden Club of Virginia with funding from Historic Garden Week tours. This was the home of Maj. William T. Sutherlin, Civil War quartermaster from Danville. It is also known as “The Last Capitol of the Confederacy.” Jefferson Davis stayed here April 3-10, 1865, wrote his final proclamation, and met with his full cabinet for the last time.
An addition to the museum is a rose garden given in memory of Sigie Perkinson, a former member of the Garden Club of Danville and Rose Chairman for the Garden Club of Virginia for ten years. Open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m., the Museum offers tours of the house and changing exhibitions of regionally and nationally recognized artists.
150 SLAYTON AVENUE. The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research is a national model for rural economic transformation. Its stunning steel architecture is unmatched in Southern Virginia, and the state-of-the-art technology supports four research centers, a spectacular Conference Center and numerous academic programs.
Danville Garden Week visitors may tour the ISRR (Institute for Sustainable and Renewable Resources), the horticulture and agriculture research center. Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.