{"nrhp_refnum":"91001084","name":"Vine Forest","other_names":["Forest Oaks","Forest Tavern","DHR File No. 81-207"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"US 11, 2 mi. W of Natural Bridge","address_restricted":false,"city":"Natural Bridge","county":"Rockbridge County","state":"VA","lat":37.62500001750007,"lon":-79.57834944027687,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-08-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Vine Forest (also called Forest Oaks and Forest Tavern) is a large brick house with three early-twentieth-century guest houses and two noncontributing barns, on US Route 11 about two miles west of Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia. It began around 1806 as a Federal-style side-hall-plan house.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant in architecture for its substantial Federal-style original section, its enlargement around 1812, and its extensive Colonial Revival additions of 1916. Together these make an unusual and very grand architectural composition. It is also tied to several locally significant families, most notably the Houston family.","narrative":"Vine Forest, also known as Forest Oaks, is a large brick house on a rise about two miles west of Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County. According to family tradition, merchant Matthew Houston built it around 1806 as a two-story, side-hall-plan Federal house of brick made on the site, with a store in the large first-floor room. Around 1812 he added two rooms on each floor to the south and, by local tradition, a two-story hall with an arched ceiling. The Arnold family owned it from 1841 until 1916. Architect Curtis Walton then enlarged it with a brick wing, frame wings, a third story, an octagonal front porch and a rear veranda. Colonial Revival paneling, cornices and a grand stair were added inside. Three guest houses were built during the Waltons' time. The property later operated as an inn in the 1930s. It is recognized for architecture and for its ties to local families, and its buildings remain in excellent condition.","period_of_significance":"1806-1918","architect_builder":"Walton, Curtis","architectural_style":"Early Republic: Federal; Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"All buildings on the property are described as being in excellent condition, and the house remains a single dwelling.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:59.637839-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/86/6833/41683386/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/91001084.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91001084/8f00f448e0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91001084/8f00f448e0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vine_Forest_from_US_11.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vine_Forest_from_US_11.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41683386","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vine_Forest","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16902735"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/rockbridge-county/vine-forest-91001084/"}