Impeccable attention to detail in this recreation of the George Wythe House located in Coloinal Williamsburg. For sale and located at 5533 Heathrow Drive, Knoxville, TN 37919 on 3.51 acres within the Sheafields subdivision in Knoxville’s Lyons Bend Community.

Offered at $1,200,000.

Architect: John Baxter, Atlanta, GA

Builder:  Mike Patterson

Landscape Architects:  Bill Oliphant, Mark Furman, David Tate (Knoxville, TN area) Mary Palmer Dargan of Atlanta,GA, and Wilson Beamer

Reproduction of the George Wythe House in Colonial Williamsburg (slightly scaled down). The George Wythe House on Palace Green in Colonial Williamsburg belonged to George Wythe (pronounced “with”), a leader of the patriot movement in Virginia, a delegate to the Continental Congress, and Virginia’s first signer of the Declaration of Independence. The house also served as General George Washington’s headquarters just before the British siege of Yorktown, and French General Rochambeau made the home his headquarters after victory atYorktown. In 1776, the house accommodated Virginia General Assembly delegate Thomas Jefferson and his family.

The home is an example of the popular Georgian style architecture of the eighteenth century characterized by proportion, balance, symmetry and adherence to the classical rules of architectural design.  Materials commonly used in this period were brick and stone and predominate exterior colors were red, white and tan.

As you approach the house notice the ratio of 1:2 between the height and breadth of the façade.  The hipped roof is constructed with slate from the Buckingham Slate Co. in Virginia.  Copper gutters and copper gutter guards are protected from winter snow damage by the “snow birds” inserted onto the slate that keep large chunks of snow or ice in place rather than sliding down the slate and ripping off gutters.

The exterior of the main residence is laid with custom wood mold brick from the Old Virginia Brick Company.  The masonry features a Flemish bond pattern created by alternately laying headers and stretchers in a single course. The next course is laid so that a header lies in the middle of the stretcher in the course below. This bond is two bricks thick.  The Flemish bond ends in English corners in which 2-inch pieces of brick (called plugs) are used to finish each end.  You will also note a water table that consists of a projecting course that deflects water running down the face of a building away from lower courses or the foundation, a decorative belt course and custom built jack arches above the windows which are structural elements that provide support at openings in the masonry. Two great chimneys afford a fireplace in all 4 first floor rooms of the main residence.

Tennessee gray marble front steps, quarried from the old Summit Hill Quarry in Knoxville, were installed in 2011.  Before entering, look up at the elaborate individually pieced cornice dentil work just below the roof, a common detail in this architectural period.  Also notice the custom mahogany paneled double doors topped with a transom window to add light to the main hall.  Front doors have painted mahogany louver doors for added weather protection.  If you look closely at the large true divided light windows you might be able to see that the second-floor windows shorter and narrower than first floor windows; but contain the same number of window panes as those on the first floor giving illusion of larger structure.

In keeping with eighteenth century style, an outbuilding sits close by the main residence. It serves as a large two-car garage with a finished apartment above.  This structure has the same slate roofing, copper gutters, gutter guards and snow birds as the home.  It is constructed of custom beaded mahogany boards painted white.  A large chimney made from the same wood mold brick faces the approaching view to the house.  The chimney is “softened” by the affixed espaliered red delicious apple tree that is part of the formal English garden between the house and the garage.  Huge custom wrought iron strap hinges hold the garage doors that open in a most unique manner.

Insider Construction Details- Building took place over approximately 15 months, stick built on site with 2 X 6 framing, floor joists on 12 inch centers. Main residence composed of four rooms on each of two full stories with two story wood frame addition off right rear room to accommodate a modern kitchen (down) and master suite (above).  ¾ finished English basement with wine cellar and unfinished workroom.  Access to this work room from the outside via a brick staircase housed within a small slate roofed, mahogany sided with double doors.

As you enter the home into the eleven foot wide central hallway you are facing an exact replica of the grand Wythe House staircase. Nearly all flooring on main and second level is toe nailed antique heart pine with 4-5 inch width boards in various lengths.  Total of three heart pine staircases.  All flooring reclaimed and remilled from The Joinery in North Carolina.  Look through central hall to identical custom mahogany double doors that open to a private brick landscaped patio at the rear of the house.  During the hot summer months in the eighteenth century, both sets of double doors would be opened and furniture would be placed into the large hallway to take advantage of the breeze.

The large central stair passage with two landings has custom walnut balusters turned to the exact profile of the Wythe House.  (The wood for the balusters came from a walnut tree that fell in Virginia during Hurricane Hugo).  The elaborately hand carved walnut spandrels on the main staircase were done by a master carver and replicate those found on the staircase at historic Tuckahoe Plantation in Richmond, Virginia, the boyhood home of Thomas Jefferson. Four Brass Box locks in center hall along with polished brass chandelier, hanging sconces and wall sconces (17) from Virginia MetalCrafters of Colonial Williamsburg.

Interior details include 10 foot 4 inch ceilings on main level with extensive 5 piece crown molding,  chair rail, and six inch beaded baseboard moldings all copied from the Wythe House (Randall Brothers Woodwork in Atlanta).  Built-in custom cabinetry and bookshelves in the two rear rooms on the main level are modern additions. Four main level rooms have gas fireplaces.  The two front rooms have marble surrounds copied from the Wythe House with brick hearths.  The study has a custom reproduction painted mantle with brick hearth.

Custom transom windows above front and back entries replicate configuration at the George Wythe House.  All windows throughout main home and dependency are premium Marvin true divided light double hung windows with light filtering and impressive U-factor insulation. All of the windows in the home were relined in 2008.  The front nine windows on the home have replaced sashes in 2011.  All window screens are stored in the attic space.

All interior doors are from Morgan’s Colonial Williamsburg Collection- all solid wood, raised panel with mortise and tenon construction.  Interior doors with custom H and HL hinges, brass door knobs and latching devices from Ball and Ball Company in Pennsylvania.

The kitchen/family room blends traditional details with modern amenities.  The fireplace in this great room was built around an 8-foot antique carved yellow pine mantle that was found in Virginia.  It contains a custom wrought iron fireplace crane (for cooking in the old days) and has attached antique fireplace tools.  Custom raised panel cabinetry of the kitchen blends into the historic décor.  Franke stainless steel sinks, Bosch dishwasher, Viking gas oven and Subzero refrigerator/freezer with plenty of granite counter space and an eight foot granite island complete the business end of the room.  Rough hewn pine rafters create a less formal atmosphere and a 35 pane Marvin bay window in the kitchen that brings light and nature to the room.  The kitchen door with its iron box lock exits to the garage outbuilding via a brick staircase and walkway.

On the second floor you will find 9 foot 7 inch ceilings with the same crown and baseboard moldings of the main level of the house.  Upstairs features include heart pine floors in all four bedrooms. Custom tile flooring in master as well as in the jack and jill full bathroom shared by the two front bedrooms. Master has separate his and her sinks, new shower enclosure and a large Kohler cast iron soaking tub.  Plenty of built ins in master closet area.  ALL counter and sink areas in the home are an inch taller than standard height.  Guest room has its own private bath and a large walk in closet.

Laundry room is centrally located with washer and dryer sitting inside a tiled enclosure. There is access to the extensive attic space via a heart pine stairway in the laundry room.

Descend another heart pine staircase from the main level to the ¾ English basement. In Britain the word “basement” is used for underground floors for a space below the ground floor of a house only when it is habitable, with windows and (usually) its own access.  The windows which bring light to this area can also be covered to transform the space into a media room.  A tiled half bath, wine cellar/ storage area and a separate work room (with access to the outside) houses the furnace, water heater HVAC , and dehumidification system.

Along the rear exterior garage wall is a wooden staircase that leads to a 460 square foot finished apartment with raised panel wall treatments, custom cabinetry, bookshelves, solid maple floors and a convenient kitchenette area with Corian deep sink and countertops, below counter refrigerator and microwave oven.  A wood burning fireplace surrounded by a 100 year old walnut mantle (from Tullahoma TN) and limestone hearth sit against the far wall. Tiled bathroom with shower complete the space.

Landscape

Once an open field for grazing cows, this property has only one original old oak tree at the very top of the lot.  At the completion of building the home, the architect added a plan to build hundreds of feet of a low brick wall (built with wood mold brick) to tie together the back of the main house and outbuilding and provide erosion control against a then unplanted, imposing hillside.

Approximately 100 tons of rock was brought in to terrace the hillside behind residence and to create walls, steps and private garden areas around the front of the home

Large brick patio area rear of home, very private, with 20 year old Japanese maples and stone walkway leading to side of house and cellar entry.

 

An informal patio area was created in 2009 in the lower front yard using enormous slabs of stone.  This natural area is accessed by one of two stairways created with large stone.

Between the house and the dependency is a formal English garden with gravel walkways, a fountain, and fragrant roses surrounded by Kingsville boxwood edging. A wrought iron archway covered with Carolina Jessamine leads into this area from the driveway and it is surrounded by a white picket (vinyl) fence that is draped in Sweet autumn clematis. An espaliered red delicious apple tree is affixed to the brick chimney.

Terraced bank behind house with over 80 red knockout roses, daffodils, daylilies, iris, itea, viburnum, laurels, azalea, clethra, English ivy, clematis, flowering dogwood, redbud trees, pines, pin oaks, kousa dogwood and much more.

Property has an incredible variety of trees and bushes including crepe myrtle, red oak, white oak and pin oak, red maple, sycamore, Harry Lauder’s walking stick, curly bark maple, yellow pine, hemlock, saucer magnolia, fringe tree, purple smoke trees, deodara cedar, magnolias, Japanese maple (several varieties), hollies, hinoki cypress, dwarf hinoki, Japanese snowbell, stewartia, green ashe, yellow dogwood, white and red redbud, paperbush trees, winterberry, butterfly bush, hydrangea, sapphireberry, fothergilla, fragrant osmanthus, mahonia, nandina, oakleaf hydrangea, camellia, deciduous azalea, and Mexican petunias.  There is also a grape arbor with vines and multiple perennial beds with a vast array of colorful plantings.

Details

New water heater 2004

Sewage pumps replaced 2006 and 2007

New copper gutter guards 2011

Interior paint 2011

Master bath remodel 2011

All windows relined 2008, Nine front sashes replaced 2011

New Fisher Paykel washer and dryer (2010) with total dryer vent replacement 2010

New Trane HVAC system for main dwelling in 2009  (2 units)

Top of the line Honeywell dehumidification system for basement installed in 2010

Sentricon termite control system in place and monitored by Dayton’s Pest Control along with regularly scheduled ant and other pest control spraying on exterior of all buildings

Fleenor security system for both main dwelling and garage apartment

Exterior clean and repaint of all trim 2009

Underground fence, leaving dogs with approximately 2 acres roaming area