PETERSBURG
Around and About the “Cockade City”
Saturday, April 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Website: pgcvirginia.org
Chairman:
Mrs. Kay C. Wray (Mrs. Charles W.)
10651 Johnson Road
Petersburg, Virginia 23805
Telephone: (804) 733-9988
E-mail: WPollard08@aol.com
Co-Chairman:
Mrs. Marilyn Walker (Mrs. Robert C.)
608 Rebel Ridge Road
Colonial Heights, 23834
Telephone: (804) 530-3177
E-mail: swepersmom@aol.com
BLOCK TICKET: $25 includes all tour properties, gardens, refreshments, Siege Museum and Blandford Church. Children 13 and older, full price; ages 6-12, half price; 5 and under, free of charge. Anyone 17 and younger must be accompanied by an adult or guardian. Tickets available on tour day at each tour site. As a courtesy to homeowners, please no high heels, photography or cell phone use in the houses, or smoking.
ADVANCE TICKET SALES: Full tickets may be purchased in advance for $20 each at the locations listed below until Friday, April 16. By mail: Send your request for tickets, no later than April 9, with a check made payable to the Petersburg Garden Club, to Mrs. Charles W. Wray, 10651 Johnson Rd., Petersburg, VA 23805. Enclose a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope. Advance tickets may also be purchased by accessing www.VAGardenweek.org
ADVANCE TICKET SALES:
The Siege Museum, 15 West Bank St., Petersburg, (804) 733-2404; Centre Hill Mansion, 1 Centre Hill Court, Petersburg (804) 733-2401; Blandford Church and Reception Center, 111 Rochelle Lane, Petersburg (804) 733-2396.
29 West Bank St., Petersburg (804) 863-1943; Palmore Decorating Center
1927 South Sycamore St., Petersburg (804) 732-8181; Boulevard Flower Gardens, 2100 Ruffin Mill Rd., Colonial Heights (804) 526-4000; Windows ‘N’ Walls,
1901 Boulevard, Colonial Heights (804) 527-7253; Gardner’s Gate, 208 N. Main St.,
Hopewell (804) 452-4424; and The Cordial Crickett, 3524 Festival Park Plaza, Chester (804) 425-9768.
REFRESHMENTS: The annual tea will be served at 1865 Westover Ave.
LUNCHEON: The Cockade City Garden Club will sponsor a Luncheon and Fashion Show on Saturday, April 17, at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 225 Claremont St., Petersburg, for the benefit of Historic Blandford Cemetery. Virginia. A“special needs” entrance is located at the right side of the church. A seated or take-out luncheon is available for $12 per person from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. A continuous fashion show with music will be presented by Ann’s Dress Shoppe of Waverly. A donation will be made from the proceeds to the Historic Blandford Cemetery Foundation. For reservations, call Mrs. B. G. Sheffield, (804) 732-3822 or purchase a luncheon ticket at Palmore Decorating Center, 1927 S. Sycamore St.; The Siege Museum 15 West Bank St.; Centre Hill Mansion, 1 Centre Hill Court; or Blandford Church and Reception Center 111 Rochelle Lane. From Sycamore St., St. Mark’s is located two blocks east on Tuckahoe St.
DIRECTIONS: From I-95, take exit 52, Washington St. Travel three blocks west, turn right on N. Adams St. Parking lot for CENTRE HILL is across from police station at the corner of E. Tabb St. and N. Adams St. Tour maps and information are available at Centre Hill.
Leaving CENTRE HILL parking lot, turn left onto N. Adams. Turn left onto Bollingbrook St., go one block and turn right onto N. Sycamore St., go one block and turn right onto Old St. The McIlwaine House is directly in front.
From Old St., go west to Market St., turn left and go one block and turn right onto High St. The Redfern Home (The Charles Leonard Home) is located on the left side at 280 High St. Proceed west on High St. to 561, “The Egyptian House,” on the right.
Leaving High St., go east to Market St., and turn right. Go to second stop light, which will be Wythe St. Take a left onto Wythe St. and go 2 blocks to S. Sycamore St. and turn right onto S. Sycamore St. Proceed on South Sycamore St. to North Boulevard and turn right. Go one block and turn left onto Westover Ave. Proceed to “Margaret’s House” at 1638 Westover Ave., which is on the right side.
Leaving this house, proceed to 1865 Westover Ave., which is on the left side of the street. To reach the Bonney Home at 1881 Sherwood Rd., turn left onto S. Boulevard, go 5 blocks and turn left onto Sherwood Rd. The home is on your right. Continue down Sherwood Rd. for 2 blocks and The Marie Bowen Gardens will be directly in front of you.
Houses may be visited in any order.
CENTRE HILL MANSION MUSEUM, 1 Centre Hill Court. Centre Hill has been called a “symbol of the grandeur that characterized the aristocracy of Virginia in the 19th century.” Completed in 1823, the stately house was built in the Federal style by Robert Bolling IV. Subsequent owners of Centre Hill, in keeping with their social status, remodeled the house according to the dictates of fashion. In the 1840s, the house was updated by Robert Buckner Bolling to incorporate elaborate Greek Revival decorative elements.
In 1901, the new owner Charles Davis added Colonial Revival-style architectural elements to the interior. In 1937, the Davis family sold the home to W. J. Miller. Fearing that Miller would demolish the house, Edgar S. Bowling purchased Centre Hill from Miller and donated the property to the National Park Service in honor of his wife, the former Joe Claiborne McIlwaine of Petersburg. Following its use as a Red Cross headquarters during World War II, the government deeded Centre Hill to the Petersburg Museum Corporation. The Corporation in 1972 then conveyed the house and grounds to the City of Petersburg with the stipulation that the building be used as a museum.
Following the transfer of ownership, the Garden Club of Virginia restored the grounds of Centre Hill with proceeds from Historic Garden Week. Today, the interior is furnished with decorative arts from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries; some are original to the house. Two United States presidents have visited Centre Hill. After the fall of Petersburg to Union troops, President Abraham Lincoln visited there on April 3, 1865, and met with the Union general who was occupying the mansion. On May 19, 1909, President William H. Taft, who was in Petersburg to dedicate a Civil War monument, was a guest of honor at Centre Hill. Following a luncheon at the house, Taft addressed throngs of people who gathered on the north lawn. In 2003, this location was officially named the Taft Lawn in recognition of his visit. Together, city officials and garden club members have restored this site to its early 20th century appearance.
Petersburg—425 Cockade Alley
THE MCILWAINE HOUSE, 425 Cockade Alley Petersburg, 23803. For 37 years, the McIlwaine House sat dormant as one of Petersburg’s historic treasures. This Federal-style frame residence was built around 1794 by Erasmus Gill and was later owned by George H. Jones, Mayor of Petersburg, in 1815-16. It takes its name from Archibald Graham McIlwaine, a Petersburg industrialist and financier, who made it his residence from 1831-78.
A fascinating feature is that the interior was made of wood by highly skilled craftsmen, with no plaster ornamentation in the design. The current owner is replacing or repairing damaged woodwork to replicate the missing original elements. Another discovery was the original paint color of the parlor wing. Under 20 coats of paint, a brilliant coral was found and has been recreated to restore the room to its early grandeur. Also discovered were the original faux-oak wainscoting below the chairrail and the faux-marble along the baseboards.
Simple plantings around the building are magnolias and boxwoods, encompassed by a white fence. The house will be used for offices and conferences; its integrity has been restored and will provide a place of historical and architectural interest. It will be opened for the first time on this Garden Week tour. The McIlwaine House is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Virginia Historic Landmark. Mr. Alexander C. Graham, Jr., owner.
THE CHARLES LEONARD HOUSE, 280 High Street, Petersburg, 23803. This Italinate mansion was built in 1867 by A.A. Traylor. In the 1890s, Charles Leonard purchased the home and turned the building behind the house from a kitchen into quarters for servants. Today, this cottage is used as a guesthouse, which displays the windows that once hung in the original parlor. The main home stands partially over the foundation of an 18th century house; the remains are still in tact today. From the original belvedere, a fantastic panoramic view of the city can be seen. The eight fireplaces, mantels and floors are all original, as is the staircase that dominates the front hall. Through their travels, the Redferns have collected paintings and pieces of art which are displayed throughout the interior.
The terrace back garden is a lovely spot full of surprises, including a stone wall which may predate the American Revolution, a possible grave and a lilac-edged baseball field. The more formal gardens are formed by boxwood that have been enclosed by wide paths and borders filled with hydrangeas, hostas, roses and butterfly bushes. This stately home is a National Historic Landmark. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Redfern II, owners.
THE “EGYPTIAN HOUSE,” 561 High Street, Petersburg, 23803. This frame home built in 1824 is called “The Egyptian House” due to the turned columns that line the front porch. The current owners have created a sophisticated interior with a neoclassical flair. Pen and ink sketches of places of local interest by Edward Daily hang in the front hall. In the living room, artist Kimberly Jones Caroll paid homage to Toulouse Lautrec in two elegant murals. Caroll painted the ceilings and dining room in gold leaf, adding depth and architectural interest to the rooms dressed in gold, black and red. In the kitchen, Caroll painted the walls with Venetian figures playing musical instruments as they pranced around the surfaces. Of particular interest in the library are the window treatments and a prized clock with a case that mimics the decoration on the mantel.
A tall garden fence lined with cedar creates privacy for the informal cottage garden that it encloses. In the center of the garden is a large cherub fountain surrounded by masses of herbs. Beyond the back garden gate lies a secret garden where sunflowers, zinnias and other annuals bloom profusely around a brick patio. This is a Virginia Landmark home open for Garden Week for the first time. Terry Carney and Nansey Cardone, owners.
“MARGARET’S HOUSE,” 1638 Westover Avenue, Petersburg, 23805. The Margaret Keeler House was built in 1918 by Miss Keeler’s father for James Joyner, a prominent Petersburg businessman. In 1952, Mr. Keeler purchased the house (his finest work). Margaret Keeler lived here until her death. In 2008, Miss Keeler gifted the house to the current owners. A three-story renovation has been completed; however, the floor plan, floors, woodwork and mantels are original. The interior public rooms were painted a soft gray, and dazzling multiple chandeliers were hung. Crystal, china, silver and antique lovers will find the collections here to be amazing. There are several 18th century pieces which belonged to the Perkinson Family of Battersea. A game table, a kitchen table and sideboard are among these cherish pieces. Oil portraits abound downstairs. Perhaps the most important portrait is that of Margaret Keeler painted for the occasion of her graduation from Petersburg High School in 1930.
The garden, declared a work in progress, provides a quiet retreat behind the house. A large fishpond is the focal point and is surrounded by magnolias, azaleas and a variety of roses. This home is opened for the first time for Historic Garden Week. Edward Montgomery and Walter Harris, owners.
1865 WESTOVER AVENUE, Petersburg, 23805. This charming, traditional white brick home resides on a large corner lot amid towering oaks and pines, creating a park-like setting. A red front door, recessed and framed by an intricate piece of floral wrought-iron, welcomes guests. The original part of the house was built in 1947. The previous owners, Dr. and Mrs. Milton Ende, added a spacious master suite in 1990.
During the current renovation, oak floors were uncovered in the original part of the house, except for the kitchen, where heart-pine floors gleam against a gourmet cooking setting. The living room is anchored by a white section sofa that creates a perfect backdrop for colorful paintings done by the owner.
Light permeates the house and is provided by the triple windows across the back, multiple chandeliers and unusual porthole-shaped windows in the addition. A balcony with a Chinese Chippendale railing off the master bedroom offers a secluded spot to relax and view the garden, which is shaped by several borders filled with spring bulbs, azaleas, roses and a variety of ground coverings. The Annual Garden Tea will be held here. The house is opened for the first time for Garden Week. Ms. Donna Hayward, owner.
1881 SHERWOOD ROAD, Petersburg, 23805. With white-washed interior walls trimmed in Williamsburg paint colors, this Cape Cod style house built in 1946 blends elements of New England and Southern Virginia. A complete kitchen remodeling was done in 2007, with heart-pine floors salvaged from old Petersburg houses. A collection of antique crocks and a painting by Mr. Bonney’s father add an Old World touch to the modern kitchen.
The dining room gleams with a collection of old pewter collected by the owner since childhood, filling a large antique breakfront. The furniture in the dining room was made between 1680 and 1700 and remains in perfect condition. Among the many antique pieces here of particular interest are the two “push chairs” used to allow children to learn to walk. Oriental rugs add color to the warmth to the beautiful antiques. In the living room are two exceptional pieces, a desk and a highboy brought from Newbury Port, Massachusetts, Mr. Bonney’s hometown.
The well-manicured yard takes much of the property’s three-quarter-acre lot. Cedars, crape myrtles, redtips and azaleas weave a beautiful tapestry of flora along the rear fence. This home is open for Historic Garden Week for the first time. Mr. Cliff Bonney, owner.
MARIE BOWEN GARDENS. In 1967, the Raleigh Parish Garden Club selected as a club project a lovely, wooded area located in the Walnut Hill neighborhood bounded by Arch Street, Arch Circle, and Fairfax Street. Azaleas, flowering trees, camellias, rhododendrons and other plants compatible with a naturalized setting are featured. Mrs. Bowen donated many plants to this site. During her lifetime, she maintained the Fairfax side of the garden, donating her time and hard work to the project. Upon her death in 1979, the city council allowed the park to be named The Marie Bowen Garden as a tribute to this dedicated gardener.
Since 1979, Raleigh Parish has continually added plant specimens and has installed and maintained a sprinkler system. Also the Boy Scouts, with the club’s financial assistance, constructed a Chippendale bridge and erected a stone waterway to control erosion. Recently the wildflower garden has been re-established and plantings identified.