Westwood

Designer: Marv Schier

Embroiderer: Beverly Klassen

Year Created: 

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Historic Westwood was built in 1890 to fulfill a wedding promise to
Adelia Armstrong Lutz, who is recognized as the first professional female
artist in Tennessee. Her works adorn the walls of Westwood, and her
studio, with its cathedral ceiling, zebra floor, and skylights, is the largest
and most unique room in the house. Designed by Baumann Brothers,
one of Knoxville’s first architectural firms, Westwood is a stately example
of Queen Anne style in brick and carved stonework with Richardsonian
Romanesque elements. Adelia came from an important Knoxville family.
Her grandfather, Drury Paine Armstrong, owned hundreds of acres along
the Tennessee River and in 1834 built Crescent Bend, an Italianate manor,
on Kingston Pike. In 1848, Adelia’s father, Robert Houston Armstrong,
built nearby Bleak House (The Confederate Memorial Hall) where Adelia
spent her childhood and General Longwood camped during the War
between the States. Adelia Armstrong Lutz was a major influence in the
development of the arts in Knoxville. She was well-educated at finishing
schools in Baltimore and Virginia, academies of fine arts in Philadelphia
and Washington D.C., and private studies in Paris, France. She taught
drawing, painting and embroidery, and her paintings were exhibited
in New Orleans, Washington, Chicago, and other major cities. In 2023,
Westwood was honored with acceptance into the Historic Artists’
Homes and Studios (HAHS) Program.