{"nrhp_refnum":"90001999","name":"Casa Maria","other_names":["DHR file # 02-829"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"VA 691 S of jct. with US 250","address_restricted":false,"city":"Greenwood","county":"Albemarle County","state":"VA","lat":38.03194300500007,"lon":-78.75334226699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-12-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Casa Maria is a Spanish-Mediterranean style estate house with extensive gardens and outbuildings on Route 691 near Greenwood, Albemarle County, Virginia. The main house was built in 1921-1922, with a brick wing added in 1928.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the property is significant for its association with landscape architect Charles F. Gillette, whose gardens here are the most elaborate and best maintained of his Albemarle County commissions. The house is traditionally attributed to Gillette as well, which would make it his only known architectural work in Virginia. It is also the only major example of the Mediterranean style in Albemarle County, and its 1928 wing was designed by William Lawrence Bottomley.","narrative":"Casa Maria is an estate on Route 691 near Greenwood in western Albemarle County, Virginia. Its stuccoed Spanish-Mediterranean house was built in 1921-1922 on land Susan Massie gave to her sister Mary Williams, and was finished by Ella Williams Smith and her husband after Mrs. Williams died. A brick wing with a music room was added in 1928 to designs by William Lawrence Bottomley. The grounds hold boxwood allees, azalea and rose gardens, winding stone walls, a gazebo, a barbecue hut, cottages and sheds. Landscape architect Charles F. Gillette designed the gardens, which rank among his most extensive in the county. Local tradition also credits him with designing the house, although no drawings survive to confirm it. The property was recognized for its architecture and landscape architecture, and as the county's only major Mediterranean-style house. Its interior and exterior remain largely unaltered.","period_of_significance":"1919 - 1928","architect_builder":"Main house and outbuildings attributed to Charles F. Gillette; William L. Bottomley (1928 addition); Charles F. Gillette (gardens)","architectural_style":"Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival; Georgian Revival (1928 wing)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The exterior and interior are described as unaltered and in excellent condition, and the gardens are well maintained. The house remains a single dwelling in current use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:59.827461-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/69/6793/41679369/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/90001999.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001999/7c6645a5b8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001999/7c6645a5b8-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Casa_Maria_outbuilding.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Casa_Maria_outbuilding.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"11000258","name":"Greenwood-Afton Rural Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/greenwood-afton-rural-historic-district-11000258/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679369","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Maria","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14712136"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/albemarle-county/casa-maria-90001999/"}