A New Era for African American Trailblazer Madam Walker’s Villa
Plans are underway to turn the first U.S. self-made female millionaire’s mansion into a think tank for women of color
Just a few months after turning 100 in June, Villa Lewaro, beauty magnate Madam C.J. Walker’s sprawling New York estate, got a fitting gift. News broke in December that the 1918 mansion Walker built in part to inspire fellow African Americans and women entrepreneurs will become a think tank for female entrepreneurs of color after the property was purchased by another self-made beauty mogul, Richelieu Dennis.
Madam C.J. Walker
A Storied Legacy
Born in 1867 as the first of her family to start life free from slavery, Walker would go on to become one of America’s wealthiest businesswomen. The beauty and hair care company for African Americans she started in 1910 would make her the nation’s first self-made female millionaire.
Her neo-Palladian white stucco mansion in the Hudson Valley — designed by the first licensed black architect in New York state, Vertner Woodson Tandy — was the 20,000-square-foot embodiment of that unprecedented success. Now, Dennis, who made his own fortune with African American-focused Sundial Brands natural hair care products, has vowed to restore the mansion and honor Walker’s legacy through his entrepreneurial vision.
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A Storied Legacy
Born in 1867 as the first of her family to start life free from slavery, Walker would go on to become one of America’s wealthiest businesswomen. The beauty and hair care company for African Americans she started in 1910 would make her the nation’s first self-made female millionaire.
Her neo-Palladian white stucco mansion in the Hudson Valley — designed by the first licensed black architect in New York state, Vertner Woodson Tandy — was the 20,000-square-foot embodiment of that unprecedented success. Now, Dennis, who made his own fortune with African American-focused Sundial Brands natural hair care products, has vowed to restore the mansion and honor Walker’s legacy through his entrepreneurial vision.
Read more stories about historic homes
Walker had architect Tandy install this $25,000 Estey organ in Villa Lewaro and pipe it throughout the house.
Restore, Then Grow
The property will serve as a learning institute, Dennis says. Villa Lewaro will be “both a physical and virtual destination where women of color entrepreneurs will come for curriculum-based learning and other resources aimed at helping them build, grow and expand their businesses,” Dennis said in a statement published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. (The villa was designated a National Trust National Treasure site in 2014.)
Some repairs are being completed at the property, Bundles says, so it will still be at least a few months before entrepreneurial programs, which are in initial development phases, can get underway. Dennis has said that restoration work on the house will be first on his to-do list, followed by hosting small retreats for participating entrepreneurs on the grounds.
Restore, Then Grow
The property will serve as a learning institute, Dennis says. Villa Lewaro will be “both a physical and virtual destination where women of color entrepreneurs will come for curriculum-based learning and other resources aimed at helping them build, grow and expand their businesses,” Dennis said in a statement published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. (The villa was designated a National Trust National Treasure site in 2014.)
Some repairs are being completed at the property, Bundles says, so it will still be at least a few months before entrepreneurial programs, which are in initial development phases, can get underway. Dennis has said that restoration work on the house will be first on his to-do list, followed by hosting small retreats for participating entrepreneurs on the grounds.
Photo by David Bohl, Historic New England
A One-of-a-Kind Home
The stately home Walker built, just down the Hudson River from other notable manors like John D. Rockefeller’s, was designed to be appreciated. As Bundles wrote, “while most of [Walker’s] wealthy white neighbors had positioned their homes to take advantage of the views of New Jersey’s Palisades along the Hudson River, she intentionally situated her house facing Broadway, the better to be seen by travelers en route from the state capital in Albany to New York City.”
With striking features including a solarium, stained-glass windows, dramatic chandeliers, grand marble floors and an ornate music salon frequented by famous artists and activists of the day, Villa Lewaro was a destination that made an impact on generations. In the coming years, Bundles says she believes the home’s new owners will steer it toward the pioneering path Walker forged once again.
“Madam Walker’s original vision to create a venue that would inspire future generations has come full circle with the New Voices Fund and its transformational investment in women of color,” Bundles says. “The connection with the Dennis family is all the more significant because they, too, launched their enterprise with a grandmother’s formula. Their generous philanthropic initiatives are closely aligned with the legacy of Madam Walker.”
On the Horizon
Bundles’ book, On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker, will be issued in a new edition in January 2020. It also is serving as the basis for an upcoming Netflix series starring Oscar winner Octavia Spencer as Madam Walker, now in production. The series, Bundles says, will tentatively premiere in early 2020.
Read Bundles’ full feature on Villa Lewaro and Madam C.J. Walker’s legacy
Tell us: What does Villa Lewaro mean to you? Share your reflections in the Comments.
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A One-of-a-Kind Home
The stately home Walker built, just down the Hudson River from other notable manors like John D. Rockefeller’s, was designed to be appreciated. As Bundles wrote, “while most of [Walker’s] wealthy white neighbors had positioned their homes to take advantage of the views of New Jersey’s Palisades along the Hudson River, she intentionally situated her house facing Broadway, the better to be seen by travelers en route from the state capital in Albany to New York City.”
With striking features including a solarium, stained-glass windows, dramatic chandeliers, grand marble floors and an ornate music salon frequented by famous artists and activists of the day, Villa Lewaro was a destination that made an impact on generations. In the coming years, Bundles says she believes the home’s new owners will steer it toward the pioneering path Walker forged once again.
“Madam Walker’s original vision to create a venue that would inspire future generations has come full circle with the New Voices Fund and its transformational investment in women of color,” Bundles says. “The connection with the Dennis family is all the more significant because they, too, launched their enterprise with a grandmother’s formula. Their generous philanthropic initiatives are closely aligned with the legacy of Madam Walker.”
On the Horizon
Bundles’ book, On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker, will be issued in a new edition in January 2020. It also is serving as the basis for an upcoming Netflix series starring Oscar winner Octavia Spencer as Madam Walker, now in production. The series, Bundles says, will tentatively premiere in early 2020.
Read Bundles’ full feature on Villa Lewaro and Madam C.J. Walker’s legacy
Tell us: What does Villa Lewaro mean to you? Share your reflections in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Inside the Home of a Civil Rights Trailblazer
Historic-Home Road Trip: East Coast
A Home for a Hero: Frederick Douglass’ Cedar Hill
Find a home restoration specialist
A’Lelia Bundles, Walker’s great-great-granddaughter and biographer, explored her trailblazing ancestor’s legacy and home in an in-depth Houzz feature last February. Walker “built her mansion, she said, not for personal aggrandizement but rather ‘to convince members of my race of the wealth of business possibilities, to point to young Negroes what a lone woman accomplished and to inspire them to do big things,’” Bundles wrote. The acquisition of the home by Dennis and the New Voices Foundation (the nonprofit arm of his New Voices Fund), Bundles says, signals an exciting new chapter for the house.
“Just as Madam C.J. Walker called Villa Lewaro her ‘dream of dreams,’ Sundial Chief Executive Richelieu Dennis’ plan for the home to become a convening place for women entrepreneurs is a dream come true for me,” Bundles told Houzz.