Richmond@Risk: Westwood aka McGuire Cottage

Built in Early 19th century it’s future lies in the development plans for 36 acres owned by Union Presbyterian Seminary.

April 7, 2014; 1:12 PM • by Richard Hayes

Historic Richmond is a non-profit dedicated to preserving the distinctive historic character, sparking revitalization and championing Richmond’s architectural legacy. They’ve marked the house above located at 3210 Brook Road as “@risk” on Facebook.

Historic Richmond is currently monitoring the Union Presbyterian Seminary’s development plan for the 36 acre tract in Sherwood Park that includes historic Westwood, locally known as McGuire Cottage. On April 8 at 6 pm, a Joint Task Group representing the Ginter Park and Sherwood Park neighborhood associations, will hold a public meeting regarding the plans for the “Westwood Tract” at the sanctuary of the Ginter Park Baptist Church, located at 1200 Wilmington Ave. This will be your chance to discuss the issue.

More on the history of the McGuire Cottage was found on the Historic Richmond blog Under the Radar.

Westwood, locally known as McGuire Cottage, began as a Vernacular one-and-a-half story dwelling on a Flemish bond brick foundation in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. It evolved over several building campaigns in which it took on the appearance of an Italianate Cottage-style house with additions that reoriented the front of the building by the 1880s-1890s. It was the summer home of Dr. Hunter Holmes McGuire, personal physician to Andrew “Stonewall” Jackson and later, Lewis Ginter, as well as one of the founders of the Medical College of Virginia. It is most likely the first house built, and possibly the last standing, on the on the land that would become the Sherwood Park development, established circa 1890 by Lewis Ginter as part of his plan to develop Richmond’s Northside.