Westwood (Knoxville, Tennessee) facts for kids
Westwood is a beautiful old house located at 3425 Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee. It's also known as the Adelia Armstrong Lutz House. This historic home was built in 1890 by John Lutz and his wife, Adelia Armstrong Lutz, who was a talented artist. The land for the house was a gift from Adelia's father, Robert H. Armstrong. In 1984, Westwood was added to the National Register of Historic Places because of its special architecture.
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Westwood
|
|
 |
|
| Location | 3425 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Area | 1.4 acres (0.57 ha) |
| Built | 1890 |
| Architect | Baumann Brothers |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 84000366 |
| Added to NRHP | November 8, 1984 |
Contents
A Look Back in Time
The land where Westwood stands was once part of a much larger property. This big estate belonged to an early Knoxville resident named Drury P. Armstrong. He lived from 1799 to 1856. Drury P. Armstrong built another famous house nearby called Crescent Bend in 1834. That house is still standing today.
Robert H. Armstrong, who was Drury's son, inherited a part of his father's large estate. Another historic house, the Bleak House, was built in 1858. It is also still standing just a few blocks from Westwood on Kingston Pike.
Unique House Design
Westwood was designed in a style called Queen Anne. The local architectural company, Baumann Brothers, created the plans. Most Queen Anne houses in Knoxville are made of wood. But Westwood is special because it was built using brick and stone.
The house also includes some elements of the Richardsonian Romanesque style. This style often features strong, heavy stone and round arches. Westwood is a large house, about 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) in size. It has 10 bedrooms and 10 fireplaces. Each fireplace has unique mantels and decorative tiles. The front living room even has a ceiling that was painted by hand!
Adelia Armstrong Lutz's Art Studio
Adelia Armstrong Lutz was a very talented painter. She studied art at famous places like the Corcoran in Washington, D.C. She also went to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and studied in Europe.
Adelia had her own art studio right inside Westwood. It's a very interesting room on the eastern side of the house. It has a high ceiling and tall windows that let in lots of light. There are even skylights to bring in more natural light. The floor is made of different types of wood laid in a striped pattern. The walls of her studio are painted a bright red color.
Saving Westwood's History
Westwood stayed in the Lutz family for a very long time. It was owned by them until 2009, when the Lutzes' granddaughter passed away. In 2012, a group called the Aslan Foundation bought the house. They had a plan to bring the house back to its original beauty.
The Aslan Foundation planned to restore the house. After the restoration, they wanted to give it to a local group called Knox Heritage. Knox Heritage works to save historic buildings. They planned to use Westwood as their offices. The restoration work included removing a garage and a recreation room that were added later. They also planned to repaint the house to match its original colors. Plus, they updated the plumbing, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), and electrical systems to be modern and safe.
