{"nrhp_refnum":"04000827","name":"Rock House","other_names":["Bowman Gray House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"7 Chestnut Ln.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Roaring Gap","county":"Alleghany County","state":"NC","lat":36.41316091400006,"lon":-80.96254603099999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-08-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A ca. 1929 rustic-style summer residence of rock and chestnut bark construction in the Roaring Gap resort community, Alleghany County, North Carolina, sited on the eastern ridge of Beech Mountain overlooking the Yadkin River Valley.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is one of the most substantial and architecturally sophisticated houses in Roaring Gap and an epitome of the Rustic Revival style. It is linked to the 1920s phase of development of the exclusive summer colony and to its first owner, Winston-Salem industrialist Bowman Gray. Its walls of rock and chestnut bark, massive stone chimneys, exposed timber trusses and porches with broad views are presented as hallmarks of the style.","narrative":"Built between 1928 and 1929 in the Roaring Gap resort community of Alleghany County, North Carolina, this rambling house is set into a sloping ridge overlooking the Yadkin River Valley. Its one-story front is faced with rough-faced stone quarried from nearby Elkin Creek, while its rear is clad in chestnut bark shingles and siding. Northrup and O'Brien, a Winston-Salem firm, designed it for Bowman Gray, who rose from salesman to chairman of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. The house has four gabled wings, two massive rock chimneys, exposed timber trusses and porches and terraces on several sides. It is regarded as an outstanding example of the Rustic Revival style, which relied on native stone and chestnut bark. The house also reflects the growth of elite summer colonies in the western North Carolina mountains during the 1920s, when Roaring Gap expanded with a new resort inn and cottage sites.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1929","architect_builder":"Northrup and O'Brien","architectural_style":"Rustic Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Rehabilitated between 1999 and 2000 under a certified historic preservation rehabilitation; the document says the house is owned by a realty trust.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:42.73777-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/18/7189/47718918/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/04000827.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47718918","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_House_(Roaring_Gap,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7354477"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/alleghany-county/rock-house-04000827/"}