{"nrhp_refnum":"86003596","name":"Janelia","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"N side of VA 7, 6 mi. E of Leesburg","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ashburn","county":"Loudoun County","state":"VA","lat":39.070189435500055,"lon":-77.46570452129149,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-03-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 3 1/2-story country house in a modified Normandy manor style, built 1935-36 of reinforced concrete faced with brick on a 281-acre farm north of VA Route 7, about six miles east of Leesburg near Ashburn, Loudoun County, Virginia.","why_significant":"The nomination argues Janelia is one of Virginia's last examples of the country house ideal, with a manor house, service building, formal gardens and a pastoral setting with planned views. It blends Normandy Manor style with 1930s modernistic design and remains virtually unaltered, documenting the social tastes of affluent 1930s life. It is also tied to Vinton L. Pickens, an artist and civic leader who chaired Loudoun County's first planning commission.","narrative":"Janelia is a country house built in 1935-36 near Ashburn in Loudoun County, Virginia. Boston architect Philip Smith designed it for artist Vinton Pickens and her husband Robert, a writer and Associated Press correspondent. Built of reinforced concrete faced with white-painted brick, it has steeply pitched slate roofs, six tall chimneys and casement windows with board and batten shutters. It sits near the center of a 281-acre farm, with formal gardens and views across the Potomac River to Sugarloaf Mountain. Mrs. Pickens asked that the house avoid the Georgian style common in Virginia, so Smith combined Normandy Manor forms with modernistic 1930s details such as original kitchen cabinetry, bathroom fixtures and a curved stair hall. The property is significant as a rare, nearly unchanged example of the country estate ideal in the Washington countryside, and for Mrs. Pickens's role in Loudoun County's pioneering rural zoning.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific dates 1935-36)","architect_builder":"Philip L. Smith & Vinton L. Pickens","architectural_style":"Modified Normandy manor style, blended with 1930s modernistic design","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and virtually unaltered, with original systems and finishes aging; occupied as a private residence and farm.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:59.904463-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/81/6815/41681581/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/86003596.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003596/ec34773e93-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003596/ec34773e93-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"rexignis","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Janelia_Farm.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">rexignis</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:Janelia_Farm.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681581","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janelia","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6153037"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/loudoun-county/janelia-86003596/"}