Waverly is a mansion in
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a town in the state of Virginia, and the county seat of Loudoun County. Settlement in the area began around 1740, which is named for the Lee family, early leaders of the town and ancestors of Robert E. Lee. Located in the far northeas ...
that was built for Robert Townley Hempstone (1842–1913) about 1890. The turreted frame house combines the
Queen Anne style with elements of
Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archit ...
architecture. Hempstone, a Baltimore businessman, retired to the property that was then on the southern outskirts of Leesburg. The house was built by John Norris and Sons, who were responsible for many prominent houses, churches and commercial structures in Leesburg. Norris' son, Lemuel Watson Norris, became an architect in Washington, D.C. and designed projects for his father's firm.
Description
Described as "opulent," the -story house is arranged with a square main section to the front, with a rear service wing. The front, on the west side of the house, is sheltered by a full-width single-story porch that wraps partway around the north and south sides. The main entry is a pair of doors with a
fanlight transom. The interior features a center hall plan with a monumental stair offset to one side. The stair features a stained glass
Palladian window on the landing between the first and second floors. The expansive central hall is flanked by drawing rooms, a dining room, and a smaller parlor. The rear wing houses service areas with servant quarters on the second floor. The main house is isolated from the servants' quarters on the second floor. A turret on the attic level is the only finished room on the third floor.
History
Hempstone died in 1913. After several owners, the house became a restaurant in the 1950s, then a private school in the 1970s. The house was restored in the 1980s. Following a fire, Waverly was again restored in 1995 and is the main feature of an office center. Waverly is itself used for offices.
References
External links
Waverly
at the Journey Through Hallowed Ground
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Loudoun County, Virginia
Queen Anne architecture in Virginia
Colonial Revival architecture in Virginia
Houses completed in 1890
Houses in Loudoun County, Virginia
Leesburg, Virginia
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