Immediately recognized for the swags, wreaths and other Adamesque ornaments that festoon its facade like icing on a wedding cake, this imposing dwelling was itself a wedding gift of sorts. The prominent tobacconist James Gabriel Penn, had the house built for his daughter, Mary Katherine—a tangible expression of Mr. Penn’s affection for her and his son-in-law, Barnes R. Penn, only a few years after their marriage in 1897. 

Built in 1902 by contractor James H. Fitzgerald, after plans by the architects Frye and Chesterman of Lynchburg, Virginia, the house combines rambling late-Victorian Queen Anne styling with an overlay of Georgian Revival details that were all the rage early in this century. Its spacious rooms were the scene of much lavish entertaining, none more memorable than the scene in the front parlor on December 23, 1925, when the Penn’s daughter, Elizabeth, married Mr. Everett Carter, who continued the Penn family tradition in the leaf business and also served several terms as Danville’s mayor. Elizabeth Penn Carter continued to live here until her death in 1985. The following year the house was sold to Robert Gibson and Howard Casey, who purchased the property after only an exterior preview. Shortly, they began a total restoration— refurbishing windows, walls, infrastructure, roof, and finally the expansive wood facade, shingles and intricate composition ornaments, which they stripped and repainted. The house then was opened as a bed and breakfast inn. 

Since 1993, new owners/innkeepers Gloria Newbery and Sharon Carney-Hodnett, who relocated to Danville from Northern Virginia, have continued the tradition begun by the previous owners. Not only does the structure serve as their residence but also for guests, now dubbed the Wedding Cake House Bed & Breakfast. The owners continue also to refine earlier restoration, enhancing further a house where each room evokes an era and a family important to the community.