Azurest South is the home and workplace of

Amaza Lee Meredith Amaza Lee Meredith (August 14, 1895 – 1984) was an American architect, educator and artist. Meredith was unable to enter the profession as an architect because of "both her race and her sex" as an African-American woman, and worked primarily as ...

, one of the nation's first black female architects. Located on the campus of

Virginia State University Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a public historically Black land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia. Founded on , Virginia State developed as the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of hi ...

, the home is one of the few examples of the Post World War I German style: International Style in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. She shared the home with her partner, Dr. Edna Meade Colson, who served as dean of the Virginia State University School of Education. an
''Accompanying four photos''
Meredith founded Virginia State University's fine arts department in 1930. When Meredith died, she left half of the property's interest to the Virginia State University National Alumni Association, and after Colson's death, the association purchased the other half of the estate. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1993. Azurest South displays "a fascination with modernity, a familiarity with new materials and construction details, and a love of nature." The building is located in a dell on the eastern edge of campus.

References

Virginia African Heritage Program

External links

* Azurest South registration form for the National Register of Historic Places (listed in the National Archives)
National Park Service Article on Azurest South (scroll down to see article)Virginia State Alumni Association article on Azurest SouthCinnamon Traveler article (feat. many views of Azurest South)
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia International style architecture in Virginia Houses completed in 1938 Houses in Chesterfield County, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Chesterfield County, Virginia Virginia State University {{ChesterfieldCountyVA-NRHP-stub