{"nrhp_refnum":"90002205","name":"Rochester House","other_names":["DHR File No. 96-87"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Co. Rt. 613, 1 mi. NE of Lyells off VA 3","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lyells","county":"Westmoreland County","state":"VA","lat":38.001561588000044,"lon":-76.71647617988188,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-01-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story, one-room, braced-frame colonial dwelling built in 1746 for William Rochester, about one mile northeast of Lyells in rural Westmoreland County, Virginia. It sits on a 31-acre site with a plank corncrib and later farm buildings.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is an extremely rare surviving colonial hall-plan dwelling, a house type that was once the majority of Tidewater domestic architecture. Its fabric and finish show the moderate wealth of a middling planter, and its original materials remain largely intact despite later renovations. It is also tied to the Rochester family, whose member Nathaniel founded the city of Rochester, New York.","narrative":"Built in 1746 for planter William Rochester, this small one-story dwelling near Lyells in Westmoreland County measures twenty by sixteen feet and has a single room. Its oak braced frame rests on a full brick basement, and a large exterior chimney with a T-shaped stack dominates the west end. Inside, the original finish included horsehair plaster, a double-beaded chair rail and an enclosed winder stair. The house was remodeled around 1800 in Federal taste and altered again in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, yet much original fabric survives, including rare early roof sheathing beneath the metal covering. The house is listed as an extremely rare surviving colonial hall-plan dwelling, a type once common in the Tidewater region. It also reflects the life of a moderately wealthy planter. The Rochester family owned the land from 1689 to 1798, and John Rochester's younger brother Nathaniel later founded the city of Rochester, New York. A plank corncrib on the 31-acre site also contributes to the property.","period_of_significance":"1746-c1850","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Colonial: Postmedieval English","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The house was used as a residence until 1935 and is now used for agricultural storage; the form lists its current function as vacant, not in use.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:01.255737-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/94/6840/41684094/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/90002205.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90002205/2b4d5f4638-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90002205/2b4d5f4638-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rochester_farmstead_wooden_building.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rochester_farmstead_wooden_building.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100005837","name":"Occupacia-Rappahannock Rural Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/virginia/occupacia-rappahannock-rural-historic-district-100005837/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41684094","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15272880"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/westmoreland-county/rochester-house-90002205/"}