Loretto (Wytheville, Virginia)

Loretto is a historic home located at Wytheville, Wythe County, Virginia.

Loretto Historic Mansion
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Virginia Landmarks Register
Front of Loretto
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Location	190 Peppers Ferry Rd., Wytheville, Virginia
Coordinates	36°57′26″N 81°4′49″W
Area	13 acres (5.3 ha)
Built	1852 (1852)
Architect	Miller, Morris C.
Architectural style	Second Empire, Greek Revival, Classical Revival
NRHP reference No.	94001093[1]
VLR No.	139-0015
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	September 8, 1994
Designated VLR	June 15, 1994[2]

History

Loretto, just north of the historic downtown Wytheville, was originally built in 1852 for William Alexander Stuart, brother of General J.E.B. Stuart. Virginia Governor Henry Carter Stuart (1914-1918), William's son, may have been born in the house. Loretto's second owner, Benjamin Rush Floyd, was a state senator and son of another Virginia governor, John Floyd (1830-1834). As residents, Benjamin and his wife Nancy named the property after the Loreto Shrine in Italy.

Loretto's size doubled in the late nineteenth century. Robert Crockett, Loretto's fourth owner, Victorianized the building with a third floor and slate mansard roof. The Campbell family lived in the mansion from 1888 to 1992 and during that time added a grand spindlework stair railing of the Second-Empire style (1889), a Doric portico on the front facade (1911), and a porte cohere and pergola on the side elevations of the home (1927).

Structure

The original section, built in 1852, is a two-story, single-pile, center-passage-plan dwelling that now forms the rear section of the house. The two-story brick front section was added in the 1880s, and has a mansard roof in the Second Empire style. The interior has Greek Revival style decorative details. A two-story front portico was added in 1911, a one-story rear brick ell was added in 1912, and a porte-cochère and pergola were added in 1927. Also on the property are the contributing log smokehouse (1850s), a double-pen, v-notched outdoor kitchen (1852), and a frame building known as the office.[3]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.[1]

Uses today

The current owners lived in Loretto from 1991 to 2014 and have renovated it as an event venue and conference space. It can be reserved for corporate conferences, educational seminars, house tours, and indoor recitals. Total indoor capacity is 50.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
3. J. Daniel Pezzoni (April 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Loretto" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying photo