Kenmore - Georgian in Fredericksburg, VA
Kenmore: The symmetrical Georgian design of Kenmore is characterized by two five-bay brick facades, a half-hipped roof, end chimneys, and a modillion cornice. Kenmore's exterior of 317,000 bricks laid in Flemish bond is austere and pristine. The interior work of Kenmore is also one of the truly unique examples of the phenomenon of fine artisans often arriving as indentured craftsmen. Their names are not always recorded. They might work on multiple projects in a region and move on after they complete their indentured arrangement.
Kenmore, completed in 1775/1776, was built as a Georgian plantation house by Fielding Lewis and his wife, Betty Washington Lewis, in Fredricksburg, VA. Kenmore faces the Rappahannock River for easy access and travel. Kenmore is well known for the remarkable decorative plasterwork on the ceilings of many rooms on the first floor. Unique to find in the colonies at this time, the neoclassic plasterwork at Kenmore is considered the finest of American Colonial architecture. In contrast to the almost severe exterior, Kenmore's spacious interior, the plaster designs on the 12-foot-high ceilings combine baroque, neoclassical, and rococo elements. The geometric floral designs were partly derived from the English design book: Batty Langley's City and Country Builder and Workman's Treasury of Designs (London, 1756). In addition, the unknown craftsman, who became known as "Stucco Man," plastered Kenmore's ceilings and also designed ceilings at Mount Vernon, the home of Betty Lewis' brother, George Washington.
The City and Country Builder's and Workman's Treasury of Designs: "Illustrated by upwards of four hundred grand designs, neatly engraved one hundred and eighty-fix Copper plates, for piers, gates, doors, windows, niches, buffets, cisterns, chimney pieces, tabernacle frames, pavements, frets, gulochi's, pulpits, types, altarpieces, monuments, fonts, obliques, pedestals, for sun-dials, busto's and stone tables, book-cafes, ceilings, and iron works." Design books like this were the source of inspiration in the American colonies, which still had very close ties to England and wanted the same English aesthetic.
Kenmore: 1201 Washington Avenue in Fredericksburg, Virginia. At Kenmore, a roughly decade-long restoration began in 2001 to return the home to its historically accurate appearance, circa 1775.
Elizabeth "Betty" Washington Lewis: Born June 20, 1733. - the younger sister of George Washington and the only sister that survived childhood. Fielding Lewis: born on July 7, 1725, was a colonel in the American Revolution and the brother-in-law and second cousin of George Washington.
The George Washington Foundation: After various owners, Kenmore was threatened with being demolished. In 1922 what would become the George Washington Foundation rescued Kenmore: The mission of The George Washington Foundation is to enhance the public understanding and appreciation of the lives, values, and legacies of George Washington, Fielding, and Betty Washington Lewis, and their families. kenmore.org
The symmetrical Georgian design of Kenmore is characterized by two five-bay brick facades, a half-hipped roof, end chimneys, and a modillion cornice. Kenmore's exterior of 317,000 bricks laid in Flemish bond is austere and pristine. Unfortunately, the Civil War destroyed most homes of this type of architecture. The river entry features a finely executed one-story portico supported by Aquia sandstone columns of the Tuscan order. Kenmore's design is possibly by architect John Ariss (ca. 1729–1799). Ariss was born in Westmoreland County (Pennsylvania) in 1725. Ariss may have obtained several architectural books on a trip to England, including James Gibbs's Book of Architecture (1728). Ariss advertised his training in the Annapolis Maryland Gazette on May 15, 1751. Ariss was a longtime friend and distant relative of General George Washington. Some also believe that Ariss had a role in designing the Washington home at Mount Vernon. Ariss leased a 700-acre tract from Washington in 1786 and built a house called Locust Hill.
Dining Room: The scene above the fireplace in the dining room is of Aesop's Fable of "The Fox and the Crow." All plaster molding (fireplace mantles included) was either cast or carved in place. They have no idea who did the incredible plasterwork at Kenmore…they simply refer to him as the "Stucco Man." The "Stucco Man" also designed ceilings at Mount Vernon, the home of Betty Lewis' brother, George Washington.
In collaboration with George Washington, Fielding Lewis created an ambitious gun-making operation to support the colonist's war effort with England. Unfortunately, despite repeated efforts for funding from Congress, Lewis was forced to put a great deal of his money into his gunnery and was never reimbursed. Plagued by tuberculosis throughout the Revolutionary War, Lewis succumbed to the illness on December 7, 1781, just after the final Battle of Yorktown. He lived at Kenmore for only six years, when the house was never used as intended. In wartime, there were no grand parties or balls. Outliving her husband by sixteen years, Betty Washington died on March 31, 1797. Due to Fielding Lewis's debts at his time of death, Betty struggled financially during the later stages of her life. Betty was forced to give up her beloved Kenmore and move to a small farmhouse near Fredericksburg. She died in 1797. New owners, the Samuel Gordon family, would be the family, in 1819, that names the plantation "Kenmore" after their Scottish ancestral castle, "Kenmuir."
Dining Room Ceiling: Kenmore's simple exterior is a perfect foil for the detailed and rich plasterwork on the first-floor rooms' ceilings and chimneypieces. Although such lavish work was by no means foreign to contemporary English stucco work, it was exceedingly rare in eighteenth-century American houses. Kenmore's plasterwork decoration is considered among the very finest colonial work in the country. The Kenmore is one of the best-preserved examples featuring room after room of highly ornamented neoclassical plaster ceilings and walls.
After the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg, Kenmore was incorporated into a fortification line to cover the Union retreat from Fredericksburg. At least 11 cannon balls hit the house, with at least one penetrating the interior, damaging the famous plasterwork ceiling in the Drawing Room. During and after the battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House, Kenmore and its outbuildings were used as a makeshift Union military hospital after 1864. War-era graffiti left on the attic's rafters attests to the fact that wounded soldiers were crammed into every available space in the house. Federal troops also used it on their way to Richmond at the close of the war was a Union hospital and a burial ground for 103 Union soldiers. The Kenmore Association (to eventually become the George Washington Foundation) was formed to preserve the property. They fundraised enough to purchase the house and what was left of the plantation grounds. The house underwent considerable restoration, most recently a ten-year project started in 2001. It has been restored to its historically accurate prime of 1775. An inventory of the house's contents, done just after Lewis' death, is a snapshot of a moment in time.
John Ariss: A builder responsible for designing and constructing several Virginia and Maryland buildings in the eighteenth century. Born in Westmoreland County, VA, he apprenticed with a local carpenter, probably studied architecture from books, and began advertising his services by 1751. For George Washington's brother Samuel Washington, Ariss built Harwood in 1770. Dolly Madison would marry James Madison here in 1794.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Drawing Room: Kenmore has been restored to its historically accurate prime of 1775. The same turquoise blue trim from the entry and dining room continued into the drawing room, with walls with hand-flocked wallpaper. Kenmore first floor entry hall and staircase: Looking west - The house has been restored inside by painstaking paint and wallpaper analysis. Master Bedchamber: This room is associated with the lady of the house in the 18th century. This is the room from which Betty Lewis ran the household, schooled the children, entertained friends, and spent many hours on chores and projects. Master Bedchamber Ceiling: Neoclassical style was all the rage throughout England, France, and much of Europe. Although the trends arrived in the American colonies a bit later than in Europe, and despite far fewer options for incorporating it into their homes, the gentry tried to bring the neoclassical flare to their houses.
Archway in the front entry: The house is an incredible example of Colonial architecture. The house is presented in colors used by wealthy colonists - not only were the ingredients to produce these colors expensive, paint and wall coverings would have all been heavily taxed by England.
One of six Chippendale style mahogany dining room chairs with a matching arm chair.
Gardens: The Garden Club of Virginia took an interest in restoring its gardens using a plan conceived by landscape architect Charles F. Gillette. Innovative fundraising to support the project led to the creation of what is now an annual event, Historic Garden Week
