Westwood is the home, studio, and gallery of prominent East Tennessee artist, Adelia Armstrong Lutz (1859-1931) and her husband John Edwin Lutz.
Built in 1890, the couple commissioned one of Knoxville’s best-known architectural firms, Baumann Brothers, to design Westwood. An impressive Queen Anne style house with Richardsonian Romanesque accents in stone, the grandest room in the house was Adelia’s painting studio and art gallery. Designed especially for the purpose, the studio had ample space for materials and paintings, a fireplace, a cathedral ceiling, tall windows and an impressive skylight.
Today, Westwood holds more than 30 of Adelia’s works along with family memorabilia. The collection showcases her three primary painting subjects: masterwork copies, portraits and flowers.
Adelia Armstrong was born in 1859 to a father who had a passionate interest in the arts. Encouraged by her father, Adelia showed significant talent at an early age. Adelia went on to study art at both the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia and the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.
Westwood remained in the Lutz family until 2009 when a 4th generation family member sold it to the Aslan Foundation, which in turn donated Historic Westwood to Knox Heritage. More than $1 million was then invested to restore and renovate the property.
In 2022, the National Trust for Historic Preservation inducted Historic Westwood into their prestigious Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios (HAHS) program. Only 55 homes in the U.S. have received this distinction and Historic Westwood is the only home in the state of Tennessee to be recognized by HAHS. Historic Westwood is also one of the seven landmarks included in the Historic House Museums of Knoxville.
Credit: Overview from museum website