{"nrhp_refnum":"86001228","name":"Lee, Robert E., Boyhood Home","other_names":["Potts--Fitzhugh House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"607 Oronoco St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Alexandria (Independent City)","county":"Alexandria","state":"VA","lat":38.809731628000065,"lon":-77.04520124399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-06-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Transportation","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five-bay, two-and-one-half-story brick townhouse with a rear ell at 607 Oronoco Street, Alexandria, Virginia, built around 1795 by John Potts, Jr., and known as the Potts-Fitzhugh House.","why_significant":"The house is the boyhood home of Robert E. Lee, whose family rented it for about nine years between 1811 and 1825. It is also tied to John Potts, William Fitzhugh and their circle around George Washington. It retains much original Federal-style woodwork, hardware and plan.","narrative":"Built around 1795, this brick house at 607 Oronoco Street in Alexandria has five bays, two and one-half stories, a raised cellar and a center-hall plan, with a matching rear ell. John Potts, Jr., built it with his business partner William Wilson, who built the nearly identical house next door. The front is laid in Flemish bond, and a gutterhead is dated 1795. Inside, much original Federal woodwork survives, including paneled shutters, wainscoting, cupboards, plaster cornices and an Adamesque ceiling medallion. William Fitzhugh, a friend and associate of George Washington, bought the house in the 1790s, and his daughter married Martha Washington's grandson here in 1804. Henry \"Light Horse Harry\" Lee's family rented the house from 1811, and they lived here for a total of nine years until 1825. His son Robert E. Lee spent his boyhood here before leaving for West Point. A 1976 restoration returned parts of the rear wing to their 1796 appearance. The house has a garden and is in excellent condition.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"John Potts, Jr., and William Wilson (builders; Wilson owned and built the neighboring 609 Oronoco)","architectural_style":"Federal (Adamesque interior detailing)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition; the house was restored in 1976 and is listed as occupied and used as a museum and 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 02:51:59.965263-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/50/6794/41679450/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/86001228.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001228/3a02090ca4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001228/3a02090ca4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"APK","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_E._Lee_Boyhood_Home.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">APK</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_E._Lee_Boyhood_Home.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"66000928","name":"Alexandria Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/alexandria-historic-district-66000928/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679450","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Lee_Boyhood_Home","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7343834"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/alexandria/lee-robert-e-boyhood-home-86001228/"}