Azurest South was the home and workplace of Amaza Lee Meredith, one of the nation's first black female architects. Located on the campus of

Virginia State University Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically Black land-grant university, land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia, United States. Founded on , Vi ...

, the home is one of the few examples of the Post World War I German style:

International Style The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. She shared the home with her partner, Dr. Edna Meade Colson, who served as dean of the Virginia State University School of Education. an
''Accompanying four photos''
Meredith founded Virginia State University's fine arts department in 1930. When Meredith died, she left half of the property's interest to the Virginia State University National Alumni Association, and after Colson's death, the association purchased the other half of the estate. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1993, and was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 2024. Azurest South displays "a fascination with modernity, a familiarity with new materials and construction details, and a love of nature." The building is located in a dell on the eastern edge of campus. The exterior consists of white stucco concrete blocks, while the interior incorporates reds and blues, creating a sense of "playfulness." The kitchen used to feature colored mosaic tiles. They were removed at some point after 1984, but the Virginia State University Alumni Association hopes to restore them.

References

Virginia African Heritage Program

External links

* Azurest South registration form for the National Register of Historic Places (listed in the National Archives)
National Park Service Article on Azurest South (scroll down to see article)Virginia State Alumni Association article on Azurest SouthCinnamon Traveler article (feat. many views of Azurest South)
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia International style architecture in Virginia Houses completed in 1938 Houses in Chesterfield County, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Chesterfield County, Virginia Virginia State University National Historic Landmarks in Virginia {{ChesterfieldCountyVA-NRHP-stub