Preservationists hope the awe-inspiring home of entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker gets a second life It?s not uncommon to find palatial estates in Westchester, New York City?s pastoral suburbs to the north, including the former homesteads of Gilded Age robber barons and industrialists. The grand Villa Lewaro, a 34-room, Neo-Palladian mansion in Irvington, stands near show houses inscribed with names such as Rockefeller and Gould, and has all the trappings of success, including a Louis XVI chamber suite, an Estey organ, and Rodin sculpture. But this home, and its first owner, represent something much more than mere wealth and privilege.
Villa Lewaro was once home to Madam C.J. Walker, the country?s first African-American woman millionaire, a renowned businesswoman and philanthropist who built an empire and became a key beneficiary to the African-American community in both New York and across the country. After decades of restoration work, the 28,000-square-foot property now better tells the story of this pioneering entrepreneur?and, hope preservationists involved with the property, may someday take on a new identity as a cultural center.
David Bohl

The current owners, Ambassador Harold E. Doley Jr. and his wife, Elena, who have owned and cared for the property for the last 21 years and are looking to sell, have been working with the National Trust to enact an historic easement for the estate. By early next year, supporters hope, Villa Lewaro will be ...