Villa Lewaro, is a 34-room
mansion located at Fargo Lane and North Broadway (
US 9
U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, betwe ...
) in
Irvington, New York, 30 miles north of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. It was built from 1916 to 1918, and was designed in the
Italianate style
The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...
by architect
Vertner Tandy for
A’lelia Walker, for her mother,
Madam C.J. Walker
Madam C.J. Walker (born Sarah Breedlove; December 23, 1867 – May 25, 1919) was an African American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist. She is recorded as the first female self-made millionaire in America in the ''Gu ...
. An additional site of residence with business occupancy was established in Harlem buttressing this
''Dark Tower'' thus completing the Walker property portfolio.
History
Early history
From 1918 to 1919, Villa Lewaro was the home of
Madam C. J. Walker
Madam C.J. Walker (born Sarah Breedlove; December 23, 1867 – May 25, 1919) was an African American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist. She is recorded as the first female self-made millionaire in America in the '' G ...
, an African-American
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
,
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
, and a political and social
activist
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
who was the first female self-made millionaire in the United States.
She became one of the wealthiest self-made women in America and one of the most successful women and
African-American business owners ever. Walker's fortune was founded on her developing and marketing a line of beauty and hair products for black women.
The mansion is an Italianate villa house designed for Walker by
Vertner Tandy, the first African-American architect registered in New York, and has been considered to be one of his greatest works. It was constructed during 1916–1918 at an estimated cost of $250,000, and was furnished lavishly. The name Villa Lewaro was coined by a distinguished visitor,
Enrico Caruso
Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...
, from the first two letters of each word in Lelia Walker Robinson, the name of Walker's daughter, who later went by the name of
A'Lelia Walker
A'Lelia Walker (born Lelia McWilliams; June 6, 1885 – August 17, 1931) was an American businesswoman and patron of the arts. She was the only surviving child of Madam C. J. Walker, popularly credited as being the first self-made female milli ...
.
The home was used as a conference center on race relations issues,
and as a meeting place for people involved in the
Harlem Renaissance, including
W. E. B. Dubois and
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...
.
Madam C. J. Walker died there in 1919, and the house was inherited by her daughter
A'Lelia Walker
A'Lelia Walker (born Lelia McWilliams; June 6, 1885 – August 17, 1931) was an American businesswoman and patron of the arts. She was the only surviving child of Madam C. J. Walker, popularly credited as being the first self-made female milli ...
, who owned it until she herself died in 1931. She left it to the
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
, but because of the challenges of paying the taxes and general maintenance of the home during the Great Depression, the estate and the NAACP agreed to sell the property and split the proceeds.
The estate was bought by the Companions of the Forest in America, and became the Anne E. Poth Home for Convalescent and Aged Members of that group.
[Adams, Arthur G]
''The Hudson River Guidebook''
(1996) . The house became a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1976,
[ and ] and has been a private residence since the mid-1980s.
Purchase by Harold Doley
In 1993, Villa Lewaro was purchased by
Harold Doley, founder of Doley Securities, LLC, the oldest African-American-owned and operated investment banking firm in the United States. According to the ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'':
The Doleys upgraded the house’s mechanical, electrical, heating and plumbing systems. They reconstructed the terra cotta roof with materials from the original manufacturer and restored the wall paintings in the dining and music rooms.
Doley has hoped to attract investors to help turn the residence into a museum. During 1998 it was a designer show house benefiting the
United Negro College Fund
UNCF, the United Negro College Fund, also known as the United Fund, is an American philanthropic organization that funds scholarships for black students and general scholarship funds for 37 private historically black colleges and universities ...
.
In 2004, it was added to the
African American Heritage Trail of Westchester County, a group of 13 sites which include the
Rye African-American Cemetery,
Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site and the
Jay Estate
The Jay Estate is a 23-acre park and historic site in Rye, New York, with the 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House at its center. It is the keystone of the Boston Post Road Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District (NHL) created in 1993. ...
.
In May 2014, the
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...
, which has designated the mansion as a "National Treasure",
[Lanert, Raquel (February 18, 2017]
"Manse built by America’s first self-made millionairess in jeopardy"
''New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' began a project with the active support of Doley, which it called "Envisioning Villa Lewaro's Future", to determine the appropriate re-use of the mansion, which was becoming available for purchase. Three scenarios were selected by a workshop organized by the Trust: a spa and salon, a "Center for Innovation in Technology", and a corporate events venue, while a fourth – continued residential use – was suggested by the Trust afterwards; other scenarios were rejected by the workshop, although the Trust recommended that one – a cultural arts performance venue – be reconsidered. Others have suggested that the mansion be used as a center for information about Madame Walker and Vertner Tandy, the architect. In 2017, a representative of the National Trust reported that despite the mansion's status as a National Historic Landmark "there’s no oversight or review to stop an external agency to propose changes to the building..." The Trust's concern is that significantly changing the mansion, or, worse, demolishing it, would be a slight to Walker's life achievements.
In May 2017,
Westchester County
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
certified an easement under the auspices of the National Trust, a significant step in the house becoming a museum. The Doleys are exploring ways to continue to live in the house if and when it achieves that status.
On December 22 of that year, the National Trust's African-American Cultural Heritage Action Fund confirmed the preservation easement, which would protect the historic and architectural qualities of the mansion and its property.
[Roberts, Karen (December 22, 2017]
"Preservation status reached on Madam C.J. Walker property"
lohud.com
Purchase by New Voices Foundation
On December 20, 2018, the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced that the estate had been sold in mid-September to the New Voices Foundation, which was founded by Richelieu Dennis. An emigrant from
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
, Dennis is the owner of ''
Essence
Essence ( la, essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it ...
'' magazine and the 1992 founder of Sundial Brands, a skin and hair care products company which is now a division of
Unilever
Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, t ...
. He purchased Madam Walker's brands in 2013 and relaunched them. The purchase price paid by New Voices Foundation – which helps women entrepreneurs of color – was not released. The foundation plans on renovating the estate and will operate it, possibly as a
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
, training center or retreat to support the foundation's mission. They would be aided by a change in the village of Irvington's zoning laws, which provides tax relief for registered historical buildings adaptively re-used for non-residential purposes, such as schools, tours and specific types of events.
[Seaman, Barrett (December 2018]
"New Owner to Propose Using Villa Lewaro as a Training Center for Entrepreneurial Women of Color"
''The Hudson Independent
''The Hudson Independent'' is a monthly newspaper serving the Westchester communities of Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Irvington, Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley-on-Hudson, Pocantico Hills, and Scarborough-on-Hudson
Briarcliff Manor () is a suburban vill ...
''
On August 3, 2021, the New Voices Foundation presented preliminary plans for the use of the property to the Irvington Board of Trustees. The three-part plan calls for the creation of the Madam C. J. Walker Institute for Women of Color Entrepreneurs dedicated to "educating, empowering and uplifting women of color entrepreneurs" through workshops and seminars, special events related to that charitable purpose which could attract up to 400 people, and private tours of the house limited to 50 people, fulfilling a requirement of the National Trust for Historic Places that the house be open to the public periodically. The plan for special events, and the associated parking problems, received the most attention from the board, as the property has only 12 parking spaces, and valet parking would increase that to 21 spaces. With an event of 400 people a considerably larger number of cars would be expected, and talks were underway with the three nearby churches to make use of their parking lots, with shuttle buses bringing people to Villa Lewaro. It was pointed out that there was in place a stipulation for the
Armour-Stiner Octagon House – the only other application of "adaptive re-use" in the village – for an sizable event to be pre-approved by the board. New Voices' formal application is expected to be filed on August 30.
[Seaman, Barrett (August 4, 2021]
"Irvington Board Gets Preview Of Villa Lewaro Plans"
''The Hudson Independent
''The Hudson Independent'' is a monthly newspaper serving the Westchester communities of Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, Irvington, Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley-on-Hudson, Pocantico Hills, and Scarborough-on-Hudson
Briarcliff Manor () is a suburban vill ...
''
Events
On July 10, 2021, fashion designer
Kerby Jean-Raymond
Kerby Jean-Raymond is a Haitian American fashion designer who is the founder of the menswear label Pyer Moss.
Career
Kerby Jean-Raymond first came into the spotlight for his presentation of Pyer Moss' Spring 2016 Menswear Collection during Ne ...
showed his first couture collection at Villa Lewaro, two days after it was forced to be rescheduled due to torrential rain and lightning – although the downpour on Thursday the 8th did not stop the audience from partying while they waited to see if the show would go on. When the show, entitled "Wat U Iz", was finally presented in its entirety on Saturday the 10th, the clothing for the designer's Pyer Moss label included a dress shaped like a jar of peanut butter, a cape made out of hair rollers, and clothing that looked variously like a kitchen mop, an ice cream cone with chaps, an air conditioner, and an old mobile phone.
Jean-Raymond was the first African American designer to be asked by France's
Chambre Syndicale de la Couture to show a collection during Paris Couture Week; the show was live-streamed to Paris. In the notes for the show, the designer said about Madame Walker that "
erwealth was more than money. ... Black prosperity begins in the mind, in the spirit and in each other. She knew that no dollar amount could ever satisfy the price tag of freedom — that green sheets of paper & copper coins could never mend souls, heal hearts or undo the evil we’ve endured."
[Wiley, Essence (August 25, 2021]
"Pyer Moss’s Kerby Jean-Raymond becomes first Black designer at Paris fashion show"
''The Hilltop''
Parking problems caused by the event, which was attended by 700 people, were discussed by the Irvington Board of Trustees at their meeting on August 3, 2021.
See also
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in New York
This is a list of National Historic Landmarks and comparable other historic sites designated by the U.S. government in the U.S. state of New York. The United States National Historic Landmark (NHL) program operates under the auspices of the Nat ...
*
References
Notes
Bibliography
*Bundles, A'Lelia P. ''On Her Own Ground: the Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker''. 2001
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewaro, Villa
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
National Register of Historic Places in Westchester County, New York
Houses completed in 1918
National Historic Landmarks in New York (state)
U.S. Route 9
Houses in Westchester County, New York
Irvington, New York
Madam C. J. Walker
Villas in the United States
African-American history of Westchester County, New York
African-American historic house museums