This Year's Featured Homes & Landmarks
Centre Hill Mansion
1 Centre Hill Court 🚻
Year Built: 1823
Style: Federal, with Greek Revival Renovations
This home, now a museum, was built in the Federal style by Robert Bolling, IV. His son extensively renovated the home in 1839 to the Greek Revival style. Incredible moldings and plasterwork are featured throughout. Numerous ghost stories are associated with this historic property. Managed by Petersburg Preservation Task Force, this site is open to the public for guided tours.
PAAL
7 East Old Street 🚻
Year Built: 1815
Style: Federal
Petersburg Area Art League was founded in 1923 and moved to its current location in 1971, despite being temporarily relocated due to tornado damage in 1993. Enjoy their 40th Annual Trees of Christmas display, featuring creatively decorated Christmas trees designed by local artists, businesses, and organizations.
The Exchange Building
15 West Bank Street 🚻
Year Built: 1841
Style: Greek Revival
The Exchange was created in 1839 by a group of prominent businessmen as a place where locally produced goods could be sold. It is one of the nation’s least-altered examples of a market or exchange building. It has served a variety of uses over the years, including housing a barbershop owned by Henry Elebeck, a free black man. Major restoration work on this building will soon begin using major funding provided by the “Save America’s Treasures” program of the U.S. Department of the Interior, along with a partnership between the Cameron Foundation, Historic Petersburg Foundation and the Petersburg Preservation Task Force.
Farmers Bank
19 Bollingbrook Street 🚻
Year Built: 1817
Style: Federal
The Historic Farmers Bank was incorporated in 1812 and is the first bank museum in Virginia. The present 3-story building opened in 1817. The upper floors were home to the bank manager and family. The bank operated until 1865. Purchased by Preservation Virginia in the 1960’s, the former Fort Henry Branch, APVA restored this building, now owned and maintained by The Friends of the Historic Farmers Bank. Of special interest is the original safe, copper plates for printing money, and the kitchen dependency.
Moore Home
307 North Boulevard
Year Built: 1915
Style: Colonial Revival
Residents: Ron and Taylor Moore
This lovingly renovated home is filled with a variety of antiques and the owner’s original artwork and sculpture. Classically appointed Federal style moldings are heavy throughout the first floor. On display will be an eclectic silver assortment, blue and white china, and a special collection of English Crown Ducal transferware.
Blandford Church
319 Crater Road 🚻
Year Built: 1735-1737
This former Anglican church was abandoned in the early 19th century and sat vacant until it was restored by the Ladies Memorial Association of Petersburg as a Confederate memorial chapel. Between 1904 and 1912 fifteen priceless stained glass windows were commissioned from Louis C. Tiffany Studios of New York. This site is managed by Petersburg Preservation Task Force and open to the public for guided tours.
Estevez Home
1177 Overbrook Road
Year Built: 1954
Style: Cape Cod
Resident: Alexangel Estevez
This red brick Cape Cod styled home is the residence of a contemporary landscape painter. The home features a collection of art and antique spanning several centuries. Enjoy an extensive collection of nutcrackers displayed throughout the house. Also featured is a clerestory-styled art studio, designed and built by Estevez.
Christ & Grace Episcopal Church
1545 South Sycamore Street 🚻 🎵
Year Built: 1923, 1957
Style: Modified Gothic and Gothic Revival
Founded on High Street in 1841 by rector Rev. Churchill Gibson Dunn, as Grace Episcopal Church. In 1923, church leaders purchased land in Walnut Hill, where many new homes were being constructed. Grace Church Chapel is the earliest portion of the current building, currently serving as the parish hall. In 1952, Rev. Boston M. Lackey, Jr. was called and the parishioners at Grace Church on High Street decided to combine with those at Grace Church Chapel. The current nave was completed in time for the Christmas Eve service in 1957.
Foster-Harding Home
1557 South Sycamore Street
Year Built: 1917
Style: Italianate Spanish Mediterranean
Residents: Nicolas Foster and Bruce Harding
This stucco home was formerly occupied by the 46th Governor of Virginia, William Hodges Mann and his wife, Etta. The interior is adorned with a wonderful mix of antiques and contemporary pieces, accented with artwork and sculptures.
Powell Home
1954 Tyler Road 🎵
Year Built: 1953
Style: Neoclassical Revival
Resident: Pat Powell
This home was built by Henry W. Maclin, president of John H. Maclin Peanut Company. The Maclin family was also a major player Petersburg’s tobacco business. This house was designed after a 19th century family home in Georgia. The current owner has an eclectic mis of antiques and period furniture, plus art dating from the 1700’s to the present day. Powell is a avid collector of the work by up and coming artists.
Bigley Home
1622 Westover Avenue 🎵
Year Built: 1916
Style: Neoclassical Revival
Residents: Alan and Garland Bigley
This grand home was built by Petersburg industrialist, Thomas B. Maclin. The Norfolk firm of Finlay Forbes Ferguson designed this home. Ferguson is known for the design of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, as well as significant buildings at the University of Virginia, and the College of William & Mary. Showcased in this home will be a stunning assortment of 18thand 19th century America, Asian, and European art and antiques.
Bishop-Waugaman Home
1706 Westover Avenue 🎵
Year Built: 1915
Style: Prairie Style Colonial
Residents: Stephanie Bishop & Chris Waugaman
This Frank Lloyd Wright inspired home was built by the Roper family, a prominent family in Petersburg’s history. The tan-gold brick and hipped roof that convey the essence of shelter, while the interior is fluid and open.
Day Home
1739 Westover Avenue
Year Built: 1951
Residents: Robert & Jean Day
Originally built as a small ranch, the house has seen many owners and additions over the years. The present residents are former innkeepers from Massachusetts with a background in design.
Battersea
1289 Upper Appomattox Road 🚻 🎵 🍴
Year Built: 1768
Battersea Villa is an 18th century Palladian Villa located on the Appomattox River, built by Col. John Banister, the first Mayor of Petersburg, Revolutionary delegate, Congressman, and signer of the Articles of Confederation. This home is an excellent example of Palladian style architecture, receiving national attention for its beauty and importance. Proceeds from this tour will fund the continuing restoration of this historic property. Enjoy a bonfire outside. Food and drinks available for purchase, including s’more kits and hotdogs to roast.
Map
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Our Sponsors
Petersburg Area Regional Tourism
Thank you to PART for their generous In-Kind support. We truly appreciate all of the marketing and publicity you provide for all of our Battersea events. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts.
In-Kind Donors
Dale Traylor Band
Iris Schwartz
The 12th Virginia Infantry
Mikey Fuller
Sweet Dixie
Phil Lewis
Thank you, Phil, for your beautiful paintings! You make this event even more magical with every brush stroke!
Battersea Villa
CIRCA 1768
1289 UPPER APPOMATTOX LANE
Battersea is a substantial stuccoed brick house located north of Upper Appomattox Street in the city of Petersburg, near the south bank of the Appomattox River. Even though the 37+ acre property is bordered by a 19th-century neighborhood and a light industrial area, it still retains its historic rural character. The house was built in 1768 by Colonel John Banister, the first Mayor of Petersburg and a signer of the Articles of Confederation. Battersea was designed and built as a symmetrical five-part Anglo-Palladian house featuring a two-story central block, one-story wings that act as hyphens, and one-and-a-half story end pavilions. One-story columned porticos mark the entrances on the front, back, and sides of the house. The plan of the interior reflects the five-part massing of the exterior, presenting a symmetrical single-pile plan with rooms extending to either side of the central block. The designer of the house is unknown.
Battersea is one of the earliest and finest surviving examples of a five-part, Robert Morris-style Palladian house form in the United States, and is the earliest surviving, fully developed example of this house type in Virginia. Battersea represents a refined and original synthesis of ideas from Andrea Palladio and Robert Morris, copying neither but reinterpreting ideas from both to meet 18th-century American needs. The five-part house form was a basic manifestation of Palladianism in both Britain and America, which enjoyed popularity in the United States during the 18th and early-19th centuries. Today, Battersea is a rare and unusually sophisticated survival of this form. Some of the finest early nineteenth century Classically-inspired architectural detailing resulted–distinctive in its period expression and craftsmanship–within the framework of the Palladian form. The later work shows a rare understanding of the derivation of the Palladian form and a clear intention to work within the parameters of this style. Battersea is therefore eligible for national significance under Criterion C in the area of architecture.
Tour Guidelines
Additional Information
- Please wear comfortable, safe walking shoes. Spiked heels are prohibited.
- Dress is comfortable and casual. Please refrain from carrying large handbags.
- The attendance of young children is discouraged. If they attend, they must remain under control of parents and must purchase an admission ticket if they are not in a body infant carrier. Strollers are not allowed in the residences.
- Please no smoking within 100 feet of the residences.
- For quick access, please have your ticket ready so you may show it at the door.
- Homes may be visited in any order and you may return to your favorite if you have time!
- The tour is designed for participants to view sites at their leisure with no formal presentations being given.
- Homeowners and their friends and family, who are familiar with the properties, will be on hand to greet guests and answer any questions.
