{"nrhp_refnum":"73002217","name":"McIlwaine House","other_names":["James-McIlwaine House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Market Square at corner of Pelham and Cockade Alleys","address_restricted":false,"city":"Petersburg (Independent City)","county":"Petersburg","state":"VA","lat":37.233286228000054,"lon":-77.40386490199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-07-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-bay, 2 1/2-story Federal-style frame house with a 1 1/2-story north wing, built in 1815 in Petersburg, Virginia, and moved in 1972 to its present Market Square site.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the finest surviving example of Petersburg's early 19th century wooden domestic architecture. Its interior, especially the wing parlor with Adam style moldings and carvings, shows the work of skilled local craftsmen who preferred wood over plaster or ceramic ornament. Few well-documented examples of Petersburg artisans' work survive.","narrative":"This Federal-style frame house in Petersburg, Virginia, was built in 1815 by George H. Jones, who served as the city's mayor in 1815 and 1816 and lost the property to debts in 1820. It later took its common name from Archibald Graham McIlwaine, an industrialist and financier who lived there from 1831 to 1878. The house has a high English basement, three bays, a pedimented porch with Doric columns, and modillion cornices. A 1 1/2-story wing holds a parlor with elaborate Adam style carving. Its woodwork shows a deliberate preference for wood, with no plaster or ceramic ornament. The nomination considers it the best surviving example of early 19th century wooden houses in the city and a rare record of Petersburg craftsmanship. Threatened with demolition for a highway project in 1971, it was acquired in 1972 by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities and moved eight blocks to Market Square, where restoration was well advanced.","period_of_significance":"19th Century","architect_builder":"George H. Jones (built the house in 1815)","architectural_style":"Federal, with late Adam style interior woodwork","criteria":[],"status_note":"Moved in 1972 by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities to Market Square; relocation and restoration were stated as eighty per cent complete, with the building in fair condition and preservation work in progress.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.943495-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/80/6824/41682480/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/73002217.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73002217/c41ea20522-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73002217/c41ea20522-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Nickmorgan2","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mcilwaine_house.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Nickmorgan2</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:Mcilwaine_house.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"80004314","name":"Petersburg Old Town Historic District (Additional Documentation)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/petersburg-old-town-historic-district-additional-documentation-80004314/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41682480","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McIlwaine_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16894943"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/petersburg/mcilwaine-house-73002217/"}