{"nrhp_refnum":"82004536","name":"Cliffside","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"N of Scottsville on VA 6","address_restricted":false,"city":"Scottsville","county":"Albemarle County","state":"VA","lat":37.80312662600005,"lon":-78.4995650943051,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-09-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Cliffside is a modified Jeffersonian-style brick house on a wooded eleven-acre tract overlooking Scottsville in southern Albemarle County, Virginia. It was built in 1835 for Gilly M. Lewis, with a side-passage rear ell added around 1850-60.","why_significant":"The nomination presents Cliffside as a notable example of Piedmont Virginia Federal architecture. It was built during Scottsville's growth in the 1830s to 1850s, and it stands out from other town buildings of the period for its scale, fine exterior detailing and well-preserved, boldly carved interior woodwork. A local tradition that it served as Sheridan's headquarters adds to its interest, but the form says this cannot be documented.","narrative":"Cliffside is a brick house on a wooded, eleven-acre bluff above Scottsville, Virginia. Gilly M. Lewis, a local physician and mill owner, built it in 1835, when the Staunton and James River Turnpike and the James River and Kanawha Canal Company were bringing growth to the town. The two-story main block has a central-passage plan, a raised basement, a pedimented central pavilion and a Greek Revival tetrastyle portico. The front entrance has a wide raised-panel door, sidelights and a sunburst fanlight. A side-passage rear ell was added around 1850-60. Inside, a ten-foot stair passage divides equal rooms, and five individually detailed mantels survive, one still bearing its marbleized paint. The grounds hold a Gothic-detailed frame office and schoolhouse known as the Ginger House, plus an early family cemetery. The house is notable for its scale, fine detailing and well-preserved interior woodwork. A local tradition links it to General Sheridan during the Civil War, though it cannot be documented.","period_of_significance":"1835","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Modified Jeffersonian style; Piedmont Virginia Federal","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and substantially unaltered since 1835; it remains a private residence.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:57.626854-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/7/6793/41679307/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/82004536.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004536/cae5649ec6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004536/cae5649ec6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CLIFFSIDE.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE &amp;amp; ROY KLOTZ MD</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:CLIFFSIDE.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"04000034","name":"Scottsville Historic District (Boundary Increase)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/scottsville-historic-district-boundary-increase-04000034/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679307","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliffside_(Scottsville,_Virginia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712184"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/albemarle-county/cliffside-82004536/"}