{"nrhp_refnum":"71001055","name":"Alexander-Withrow House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Main and Washington Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lexington (Independent City)","county":"Lexington","state":"VA","lat":37.78550369900006,"lon":-79.44168744599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1971-07-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick house at the north corner of Main and Washington Streets in Lexington, Virginia, built around 1790 for merchant William Alexander on lots bought from the town trustees in 1784.","why_significant":"It is one of the oldest dwellings in Lexington and is believed to be the only house in the town center to survive the 1796 fire. Its glazed-header diaper brickwork is thought to be the only example in the Shenandoah Valley, and its four corner chimneys are unusual in Virginia. Its association with several old Lexington families and its prominent location make it a cherished local landmark.","narrative":"Standing diagonally across from the Rockbridge County Court House at a busy downtown intersection, this brick house in Lexington was built around 1790 for merchant William Alexander on lots he bought in 1784, when the town was laid out. John Leyburn bought it in 1800, and the Leyburn family kept it until 1851. George A. Baker then owned it until the Withrow family acquired it in 1901. In 1969 the Historic Lexington Foundation took ownership. In the 1850s the adjoining streets were lowered ten feet, turning the main floor into a second story above a limestone street level now used for shops. A shallow hipped roof with an Italianate bracketed cornice was added in the mid-nineteenth century. The house is notable for brick walls with glazed headers forming a diaper pattern, thought to be unique in the Shenandoah Valley, and for four corner chimneys. It is believed to be the only center-town house to survive the 1796 fire.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal-era brick house with later Italianate bracketed cornice","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition and altered; after years of poor repair it was recently renovated by the Historic Lexington Foundation. The ground floor has long been rented to retail shops.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:56.776131-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/98/6814/41681498/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/71001055.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71001055/6d3e00480e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71001055/6d3e00480e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Cville dog","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1_W_Washington_St,_Lexington,_VA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Cville dog</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:1_W_Washington_St,_Lexington,_VA.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"72001506","name":"Lexington Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/lexington-historic-district-72001506/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681498","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander%E2%80%93Withrow_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16159252"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/lexington/alexander-withrow-house-71001055/"}