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.
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.
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Richard Hayes
When Richard isn’t rounding up neighborhood news, he’s likely watching soccer or chasing down the latest and greatest craft beer.
Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.
We live right next to this home/building–and have since 1996–in seminary faculty housing. The house was occupied by students until, I believe, 8 years ago, when the last family moved out. To say it is used for “storage” is stretching it. My son used to break in through the windows (until I requested that the Seminary secure them) and what is in there is “stuff” that has been left over the years by students.
What’s really sad to me is that the building has been left to deteriorate. I walk by several times a day and it has been years since I have seen anyone doing any maintenance on it. The squirrels have taken it over. I hate to imagine what the inside looks like now.
This house is at serious risk and needs a community of people to rally around it before it gets torn down, like the group of “Missionary Court” buildings not far away that the Seminary removed recently.