Azurest South

Azurest South
Location2900 Boisseau St. Ettrick, VA 23803
Coordinates37°14′26″N 77°25′02″W / 37.24046°N 77.41711°W / 37.24046; -77.41711
Area2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built1938
ArchitectMeredith, Amaza Lee; Holmes, Russell
Architectural styleInternational Style
NRHP reference No.93001464 (NRHP nomination)
100011351 (NHL designation)
VLR No.020-5583
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 30, 1993
Designated NHLDecember 13, 2024
Designated VLROctober 20, 1993

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, the home is one of the few examples of the Post World War I German style: International Style in Virginia. She shared the home with her partner, Dr. Edna Meade Colson, who served as dean of the Virginia State University School of Education. 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 in 1993, and was designated a National Historic Landmark 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.