{"nrhp_refnum":"89001925","name":"Col Alto","other_names":["Dhl #117-3"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Nelson and Spottswood Dr.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lexington (Independent City)","county":"Lexington","state":"VA","lat":37.780509179000035,"lon":-79.43883994599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-11-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Col Alto is a brick, two-story Classical Revival mansion on a seven-acre hilltop tract at the eastern edge of the old part of Lexington, Virginia. The original house was built in 1827 and has been enlarged by later owners, with outbuildings and gardens on the grounds.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the house, with its additions and grounds, represents the type of home favored by the region's leading families for over a century. It is tied to Governor and Congressman James McDowell and Congressman Henry St. George Tucker. It also carries the work of architect William Lawrence Bottomley, whose Palladian-style veranda is a notable feature, and landscape architect Rose Greely, who laid out the 1930s grounds.","narrative":"Col Alto is a brick Classical Revival mansion set on seven acres atop a hill at the eastern edge of old Lexington, Virginia. The original two-story, three-bay house was completed in 1827 for James McDowell, who later served as governor of Virginia and as a congressman. Later owners added a Scottish dormer, a stair tower, a dining wing and service areas. Henry St. George Tucker, a law dean, acting university president and congressman, bought the property in 1898. His daughter Rosa Tucker Mason hired New York architect William Lawrence Bottomley in the early 1930s. He designed a Palladian-style veranda of three arches on paired brick columns, along with an arcaded garage. Landscape architect Rose Greely shaped the present grounds, including the axial entrance from Spottswood Drive. The property is significant for its links to McDowell and Tucker, for its place among the region's antebellum houses, and for the Bottomley and Greely work. A renovation in 1987-88 left it in excellent condition.","period_of_significance":"1827-1939","architect_builder":"Samuel Reid McDowell (design attributed); William Lawrence Bottomley (1930s additions)","architectural_style":"Georgian/Classical Revival","criteria":["B","C"],"status_note":"The house stood neglected for a number of years, then underwent a general renovation in 1987-88 and is described as being in excellent condition. It is used as a single dwelling, and the log cabin and barn are rental units.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:01.078333-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/10/6815/41681510/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/89001925.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001925/45a5a4b593-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89001925/45a5a4b593-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Zeete","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Col_Alto,_Lexington,_VA_-_front_view.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Zeete</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:Col_Alto,_Lexington,_VA_-_front_view.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"72001506","name":"Lexington Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/lexington-historic-district-72001506/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41681510","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Col_Alto","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16890470"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/lexington/col-alto-89001925/"}