{"nrhp_refnum":"69000338","name":"Danville Public Library","other_names":["Sutherlin House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"975 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Danville (Independent City)","county":"Danville","state":"VA","lat":36.58094232700006,"lon":-79.40006126299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1969-11-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story stuccoed Italianate villa at 975 Main Street in Danville, Virginia, built in 1857-58 for Major William T. Sutherlin and now used as the Danville Public Library (Confederate Memorial).","why_significant":"The house is tied to the final days of the Confederate government. President Jefferson Davis stayed there in April 1865 and signed his last official proclamation as Confederate President there. It is also described as one of Virginia's outstanding examples of the Italianate villa style.","narrative":"Built in 1857-58 for Major William T. Sutherlin on Danville's Main Street, this two-story stuccoed house is an Italianate villa. Three of its five bays project from the facade, and a one-story wooden porch fronts the recessed portion. A heavy bracketed cornice, a shallow hipped roof and a square cupola with pilasters complete the design. Two one-story wings were added at the rear for library use, carrying through the original style, though the interior was considerably altered, with the first-floor hall walls removed and the staircase relocated. The house is significant for its role in April 1865, when the Confederate government left Richmond and set up a temporary capital in Danville. President Jefferson Davis was Sutherlin's guest and signed his last official proclamation as Confederate President here on April 4. He is believed to have received word of Lee's surrender at dinner in the house. It is also noted as an outstanding Virginia example of Italianate villa architecture.","period_of_significance":"19th Century","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italianate villa","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as a public library; condition listed as fair, with the interior considerably altered and rear library wings added.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:56.623789-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/79/6803/41680379/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/69000338.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000338/c882d84b0f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000338/c882d84b0f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"MarmadukePercy","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_T_Sutherlin_Mansion_Danville_Virginia.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">MarmadukePercy</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_T_Sutherlin_Mansion_Danville_Virginia.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"73002207","name":"Danville Historic District (Additional Documentation)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/danville-historic-district-additional-documentation-73002207/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41680379","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_T._Sutherlin_Mansion","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15212777"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/danville/danville-public-library-69000338/"}