At Warrenwood Manor, we like to say that we honor the past by celebrating the future.  We celebrate marriages, babies, birthdays and all that these occasions mean for the future.  Meanwhile, guests get to experience and appreciate first hand the beautiful, craftsmanship and charm of what the past has made of the Warrenwood estate.  As so many old homes are being demolished, we are thankful to have found a way to keep Warrenwood thriving.

The Beginning of Warrenwood Manor

In 1785 Captain William Warren, a Revolutionary War Soldier, purchased 304 acres of land.  This purchase included the 100 acres upon which Warrenwood Manor now sits.  It wasn’t until 1856 that descendants of Captain Warren, John Fouche Warren and Samuel Wilcox Warren, would commission the construction of the house.

Warrenwood is one of three Gothic villas, including the Helm-Gentry House and the Mound Cottage, constructed between 1852 and 1856 in the Danville area.  All three homes were modeled after the Elley Villa of Lexington and roughly based on sketches published by A. J. Downing and A. J. Davis.  The builder of these villas is unknown, but they were probably designed and built by the same architect due to their similarities.  It is believed possible that the houses were constructed by Robert Russell Jr., a local Danville builder, who is attributed with the construction of most of the early brick structures in the area.

The home rests on a foundation of stone allowed to settle for two years before the bricks were laid.  The dark red bricks that make up the home’s exterior and interior walls were made on the property and laid four deep in the thinnest parts of the walls.  Lumber, cut from the property, was used to construct rooms measuring eighteen feet square and ceilings fourteen feet high.  The front door, surrounded by leaded, Venetian glass opens to a large hall lit by two Venetian hall lamps.  Solid walnut details include doors throughout the house, window facings, massive mantels and the banister ascending to the third floor.

The Warrenwood home is full of elegance and southern charm around every corner.  Warrenwood, along with the Helm-Gentry House and the Mound Cottage were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 for their architectural and historical significance.  Over time additions were made to the back of the house, but the main structure has remained remarkably intact and serves as a snapshot of the past.

The Recent History of Warrenwood Manor

Warrenwood Manor was loving restored in 2014 before opening for it’s first wedding season in 2015.  It is and will always be a work in progress, but that is part of the charm.  After sitting empty for almost a decade, we like to think that Warrenwood loves being filled again with love and laughter every weekend.  By the end of it’s third year of operation, Warrenwood will have hosted nearly 100 weddings and countless other events.  Below we share some of the most stunning images taken in and around the Warrenwood home over then past two years.