2001 Rivermont Ave
Categories
Address
2001
Property Name
George A. Kerr House/Seven Hills School/Virginia School of the Arts
Date Built
1909
Architect
J. M. B. Lewis
Contractor
--
Function
Apartments
Style & Architectural Description
Tudor Revival. Large brick with irregular massing, gable roof with crenellated roofline, clustered chimneys, and Tudor-arched doorways. Porches are on north and west. Windows are triple-hung with multi-pane sashes. Building has received large addition on west in the 1950s. Gymnasium is on the south.
Owners
- 1909 George A Kerr
- Unknown-1938 Rosa Barksdale
- 1938-1940 Hyman Berman Estate
- 1940-1959 Phyllis W. Sims
- 1959-1995 Seven Hills School Incorporated
- 1995-2011 Virginia School of the Arts
- 2011-2017 Andrew Namrow
- 2017-Present Willoughby Properties LLC
Anecdotal Information
The earliest and one of the best examples of Tudor Revival architecture in Rivermont and Lynchburg, it was designed by architect J. M. B. Lewis in 1909-1912. Was built for the Englishman George A. Kerr who was vice-president of the Heald Company, world's largest tanning extract plant. House was modeled on his home in England and required much expensive building materials. House was sold and converted to the Seven Hills School in the 1950s which closed in 1995. In 1995 this property became part of the Virginia School of the Arts (see 2244 Rivermont ) which in turn, closed in 2010. After a period of neglect, the building has recently undergone a beautiful conversion into apartments.
