Adelia Armstrong Lutz House and Studio, Historic Westwood

Adelia Armstrong Lutz, b 1859- d 1931
3425 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919 - view on Google Maps
(865) 523-8008
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“Art is something accomplished. It is the birth of a new joy into the world. Art teaches you the philosophy of life – it shows you that there is no perfection. There is light and there is also shadow. Everything is in half-tints.”
—Adelia Armstrong Lutz
Westwood is the home, studio, and gallery of prominent East Tennessee artist, Adelia Armstrong Lutz (1859-1931) and her husband John Edwin Lutz. Built in 1890, the couple commissioned one of Knoxville’s best-known architectural firms, Baumann Brothers, to design Westwood. This resulted in an impressive Queen Anne style house with Richardsonian Romanesque accents in stone. A rare aspect of the design was Adelia’s painting studio and art gallery, by far the grandest room in the house. Designed especially for the artist, her studio had ample space for materials and paintings, a fireplace, a cathedral ceiling, tall windows and an impressive skylight. Today, Westwood showcases over 30 of Adelia’s works along with family memorabilia.


ABOUT


Lutz was born Ann Adelia Armstrong at the home of her maternal grandparents in Jefferson County, Tennessee in 1859. Lutz always had a natural talent for art and in her youth, she was known to doodle in her schoolbooks and paint flowers on the cover of her books. She often dramatized poems and her favorite novels by creating illustrations to go along with the readings. She also had a strong artistic kinship with her father, who was an amateur artist.

Lutz was known to paint a wide variety of subjects, but was especially fond of portraits, landscapes, and animals. She also had a gifted talent for painting flowers, especially hollyhocks. Besides her original works, she often painted copies of old masters that she studied in art school and in museums. Lutz not only painted for study, but she was frequently commissioned to paint portraits, routinely entered her paintings in competitions, and exhibited her work throughout the country.

Lutz honed her already exceptional talents by attending two prestigious art schools. In 1885 at the age of 26, Adelia studied at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. After her return from her studies, Adelia married John Edwin Lutz in February 1886 and spent the next two years teaching art lessons in painting, drawing, and embroidery.

In 1890, John and Adelia built their grand home, Westwood. The home, designed by the noted Knoxville architect Baumann Brothers, was built with an art studio and gallery which is the crown jewel of the house. Lutz painted and displayed her paintings in the studio, inspiring her students and circle of family and friends. An undated newspaper article praised the design and ambience, describing the studio as, “A special room, with beautiful inlaid oak floors and a dado of low bookcases has been set aside in Mrs. Lutz’ home for the display of the work of her brush. It is a room in which both the art lover and the book lover would sit and look and dream.”

Lutz spent her lifetime committed to the local art community, serving as the president of the Nicholson Art League in 1903-1904 and remaining an active member until her death. She also frequently wrote on the subject of art for local newspapers and gave lectures on art and culture for local civic and literary
clubs.

Upon her death in 1931, the property remained in the family until 2013 when it was purchased by the Aslan Foundation and then donated to Knox Heritage. After undergoing a year-long restoration, Westwood opened its doors to visitors in April 2014.

Did you know...?

Adelia exhibited two paintings at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

SPECIAL RESOURCES

Artwork by the artist, archives, and special collections.

 

WHAT TO DO HERE

  • Take a guided tour of the house
  • Walk through the flower gardens that inspired many of the artist's paintings