A compact façade unifies the varied textures, materials and colors of this unmistakably urban dwelling. No expense was spared when William F. Patton, a banker, had this stone and brick Richardsonian Free Style mansion built in 1890; tradition holds that upon completion the shrouded façade was "unveiled." Patton, a third generation Danvillian when he built this house, descended from Dr. James D. Patton, one of the town’s early 19th-century immigrants, and namesake for a principal downtown business street. Following the tragic death of his wife from typhoid in 1894, W. F. Patton and their sons went to live with his mother-in-law. The following year, the mansion and all of its contents were sold to a prominent tobacco leaf dealer, O. Witcher Dudley. The Dudleys lived here for the first half of the 20th century, retaining the house until Mrs. Dudley‘s death in 1954.
This Main Street residence also holds the distinction as the first local dwelling rescued, in the mid-1960s, as part of Danville’s early "historic preservation" movement – a successful response to an absentee owner/landlord who attempted to replace the 27 room mansion with an apartment building.
Once saved, the house experienced several incarnations over the next 35 years – first as an interior decorating shop, then a music studio and, for many years, the office of orthodontist Dr. R. Wilford Cocke. Upon his retirement, Dr. Cocke and his wife sold the property in 2003 to Paul and Marjory Liepe, newcomers attracted to Danville by its wealth of historic architecture.
Building upon the tradition of stewardship evidenced when this landmark dwelling was saved by the ad-hoc neighborhood "Committee of 900" more than 40 years ago, the current owners have made the preservation of their home, inside and out, a priority.