Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 12/14/2017
NRHP Listing Date 06/01/2018
NRHP Reference Number SG100002530
Kenwyn (presently known as Wynandra), built in 1929 in Richmond, is an exceptional early-20th-century Georgian Revival-style house designed by architect Carl Max Lindner, Sr., and enhanced with garden designs by landscape architect Charles Freeman Gillette. Both men, well-known designers in the Richmond area, were at the height of their careers when they designed Kenwyn for Edward Victor Williams and his wife, Kate. Prominent in Richmond’s social and civic affairs, Williams was the successful manager of the Allen & Ginter branch of the Liggett and Myers Tobacco Company (later American Tobacco Company). Kenwyn, one of the first houses built in Westhampton’s Paxton neighborhood, sat just beyond the city limits at the time of its completion in the Henrico County countryside. The area grew more attractive as a place for country homes after the creation of T.C. Williams’s Windsor Farms, where Gillette completed several design projects, including for T.C. Williams’s Agecroft Hall and the adjacent Virginia House. Lindner, who also designed apartment houses and churches, was a sought-after designer for residences in Richmond’s fashionable neighborhoods, typically executing his designs in a variety of revival styles. One of Lindner’s finest architectural compositions, Kenwyn is an impressively large and detailed example of the Georgian Revival style surrounded by Gillette’s landscaping.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: August 10, 2021
