Seminary’s 1800s-era ‘Westwood’ house demolished in Northside
January 28, 2021 47
Crews continued working on the demolition Wednesday beside the Canopy at Ginter Park apartments, visible in the background. (
Jonathan Spiers photo)
One of the oldest homes in Northside is no more.
The 1800s-era Westwood house, also known as McGuire Cottage, was demolished this week at the behest of Union Presbyterian Seminary.
It owns the so-called Westwood Tract where the structure had stood for two centuries — dwarfed in recent years by the newly built Canopy at Ginter Park apartments.
Seminary spokesman Mike Frontiero said its board of trustees voted last year to demolish the structure, originally the home of Confederate surgeon Hunter Holmes McGuire, “as recognition of and in repentance for the resourcing provided to the seminary through the labor of enslaved persons.”