 
The Residence
Photograph courtesy of Virginia Department of Historic Resources
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This compact plantation
house was built c.1793 for William Madison, member of the Virginia House
of Delegates for seven consecutive terms and brother of President James
Madison. In 1793 James Madison asked Thomas Jefferson
to supply plans for a house for his brother. Jefferson, a close friend
of the president, suggested a floor plan for a seven-room house in a geometric
configuration that is a hallmark of Jefferson's residential design. James
Madison later wrote to Jefferson saying that William had adopted the plans.
No Jefferson drawings have been positively identified as the Madison design,
but the correspondence authenticates the Jefferson connection. The original,
unacademic two-column portico suggests, however, that Jefferson was not
involved in the execution.
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View of The Residence in the 1970s
Photograph from National Register Collection, courtesy of Virginia
Historic Landmarks
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In 1870 the property was purchased by Robert Stringfellow Walker,
who remodeled the house in 1884. It was here that Walker founded Woodberry
Forest School in 1889, naming it after the Madison plantation. The house
was renamed the Residence and became the headmaster's house. Walker
hired a tutor to educate his six sons and neighboring children. The
first classes were taught in a room of The Residence. Additions made
in 1884 changed the effect from Palladian to Victorian. Other renovations
in 1948 created a large drawing room by eliminating partitions between
three rooms, one of which was used as a back porch by the Madison family.
The Residence is located within the Woodberry Forest School, in
Woodberry Forest and is the private residence of the headmaster. For
more information visit the school's
website.
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