Villa Lewaro
Also known as: Anne E. Poth House
Why it's listed
Villa Lewaro is a three-story mansion above the Hudson River in Irvington, New York, completed in 1918 for cosmetics entrepreneur Madame C. J. Walker. Architect Vertner Tandy, the state's first licensed Black architect, designed it in an early Italian Renaissance style on the scale of an Italian palace. The fireproof structure has white stucco walls, a red tile roof, concrete balustrades and a two-story portico with six Ionic columns. It originally held 34 rooms, including a gold-trimmed room with a specially made organ. Terraces, a fountain, a sunken garden and a pergola completed the grounds. The nomination presents the house as Tandy's most complete design and as one of the first projects of that size by a Black architect, built for a Black client and by Black contractors. After Walker's death and the sale of the property in 1931, it became the Anna E. Poth Home. Later changes include a chapel, an elevator and a fire escape.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is the finest and most complete work of Vertner Tandy, New York's first licensed black architect, and was one of the first projects of its scale by a black architect. It was also owned, designed and built by Black people, which was remarkable for the period. It illustrates Black achievement in architecture and business through Madame Walker, a successful cosmetics entrepreneur.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 76001289, listed May 11, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | N. Broadway, Irvington |
|---|---|
| County | Westchester County |
| Listed | May 11, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76001289 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Vertner Tandy (1885-1949), architect; Miller and Reed, black contractors of Harlem, built Madame Walker's country home |
| Architectural style | Early Italian Renaissance |
| Areas of significance | Black, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated May 11, 1976 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied; in use as the Anna E. Poth Home, a nursing home, since 1931. Kept in excellent repair with some alterations, including a chapel conversion, an elevator, a fire escape, and loss of the garden and pergola. |
| Acreage | 3.1 |
| Coordinates | 41.04314, -73.86397 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 76001289.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7930386
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.