{"nrhp_refnum":"12001135","name":"Lewis Store, The","other_names":["The Fielding Lewis Store","VDHR File Number 11-0132-0033"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1200 Caroline St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fredericksburg (Independent City)","county":"Fredericksburg","state":"VA","lat":38.30769624200008,"lon":-77.46083928499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2013-01-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce","Historic - Non-Aboriginal"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, three-bay, front-gable Georgian-style brick store at 1200 Caroline Street in Fredericksburg, Virginia, built in 1749 (dated by dendrochronology) with a second story added in 1808.","why_significant":"The nomination argues significance at the state level under Criteria A, C and D. It represents the early beginning of Virginia's permanent retail economy and is a rare surviving pre-1750 commercial building, possibly one of only three brick stores of its date in Virginia. Its stone quoins are unusual for colonial stores, and archaeology at the site yielded information on the building's changing uses.","narrative":"Built in 1749 at the corner of Caroline and Lewis Streets in Fredericksburg, Virginia, this brick store was erected by landowner and shipper John Lewis. His son Fielding Lewis, who married George Washington's sister, served as proprietor and later owner. Originally a one-and-a-half-story Georgian building, it gained a second story in 1808. Rusticated sandstone quoins, stone lintels with grooved keystones and a corbelled-brick cornice mark the exterior. The building is considered significant for three reasons. It reflects the shift from itinerant peddlers and plantation trading to permanent town stores that sold European goods to the middle classes. It is a rare surviving example of Virginia's earliest commercial architecture, possibly one of only three brick stores from the period. Archaeological work in and beside the building also revealed how its use and fabric changed. It served as a store until 1823 and afterward as a residence. A 2000-2006 rehabilitation preserved its historic fabric.","period_of_significance":"1749-1823","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"COLONIAL: Georgian","criteria":["A","C","D"],"status_note":"Rehabilitated in 2000-2006 and described as in good condition; current function is listed as organizational, with offices on the second story.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:02.991019-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/63/6808/41680863/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/12001135.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12001135/d23f5049ec-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12001135/d23f5049ec-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"GeorgeBarnick","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LewisStoreFredericksburgVA-20190417.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">GeorgeBarnick</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LewisStoreFredericksburgVA-20190417.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680863","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Store","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16894113"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/fredericksburg/lewis-store-the-12001135/"}