{"nrhp_refnum":"80004164","name":"Mountain Grove","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"NW of Esmont on VA 717","address_restricted":false,"city":"Esmont","county":"Albemarle County","state":"VA","lat":37.83569212200004,"lon":-78.64374483503404,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-09-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick Federal-style Palladian dwelling on Green Mountain northwest of Esmont, Albemarle County, Virginia, built in 1803-1804 by Benjamin Harris. It has a tripartite plan with a two-story center block and 1½-story wings.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is an outstanding example of a Federal-style Virginia Palladian house, related to other tripartite houses derived from English pattern books such as Robert Morris's Select Architecture, and strongly Jeffersonian in design. Its painted and grained woodwork, and especially the parlor mantel and overmantel by an unknown folk artist, set it apart. It also reflects the sophistication of its builder, a wealthy and prominent county figure.","narrative":"Mountain Grove is a brick house on Green Mountain, northwest of Esmont in Albemarle County, built in 1803-1804 by Benjamin Harris. Its tripartite form places a two-story, three-bay center block, treated like a classical temple front with a pedimented gable and bull's-eye window, between single-bay, 1½-story wings. Walls are laid in three-course American bond above a rubble stone basement, and heavy modillion cornices show Jeffersonian influence. Inside, doors and wainscot are painted and grained to imitate mahogany, and the parlor mantel and overmantel, marbleized and decorated by an unknown folk artist, are the most notable features. The design relates to other Palladian houses in the region that drew on English pattern books, including Robert Morris's Select Architecture. Harris was a wealthy Albemarle figure who served as militia captain, magistrate and sheriff, and he chose the newer three-part plan over the Georgian arrangement. The house stayed in the Harris family until 1931. A shed, a barn and the ruins of a kitchen lie nearby.","period_of_significance":"1803-1804","architect_builder":"Benjamin Harris (builder); architect unknown","architectural_style":"Federal style, Palladian plan (tripartite Virginia Palladian house)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied as a private residence; described as in excellent condition and largely unaltered at listing. A 2005 survey noted it was being restored and that a modern recessed wing had been added.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:58.131282-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/71/6792/41679271/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/80004164.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004164/b96c5cce51-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004164/b96c5cce51-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mountain_Grove_gate.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mountain_Grove_gate.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"07001236","name":"Southern Albemarle Rural Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/southern-albemarle-rural-historic-district-07001236/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679271","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Grove_(Esmont,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712921"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/albemarle-county/mountain-grove-80004164/"}