Built 1849 VLR # 054-0073 Opened 1849 Added to NRHP 17 September 1970 | NRHP Reference # 70000810 Designated VLR September 1, 1970 Area 239 ha Architect Colonel James Magruder | |
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Location S of jct. of Rtes. 22 and 638, near Trevilians, Virginia Architectural style Early Republic, Other, Jeffersonian classicism | ||
Westend is a temple-fronted house near Trevilians, Virginia. Built in 1849, the house's design refers to the Classical Revival style, representing an extension of the Jeffersonian ideal of classical architecture. The house was built for Mrs. Susan Dabney Morris Watson on a property that she had inherited from her late husband. The building project was supervised by Colonel James Magruder. The house was the centerpiece of a substantial plantation, and a number of dependencies, including slave dwellings, survive. Westend remains in the ownership of the descendants of Mrs. Watson.
The two-story house is built of brick, and features a tetrastyle Tuscan portico on its principal facade. The main three-bay section is flanked by three-bay, one-story wings and surmounted by a hipped roof with prominent interior chimneys The fronts of these wings were originally orangeries. The rear facade features a one-story Tuscan porch. The house is painted in a light color to resemble stucco. The interior is arranged around a central hall that is subdivided into an entrance hall and a stair hall to the rear, with two rooms to either side.
Westend was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 17, 1970. It is included in the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District, a notable concentration of large plantations and manor houses centered on the Green Springs neighborhood. Much of the surrounding country is under scenic easement agreements, administered by the National Park Service.