Coiner House
Also known as: Koyner House; Koiner House
Why it's listed
Near Crimora in Augusta County, Virginia, the Coiner House is a two-story, three-bay brick I-house built about 1825 on farmland beside the South River. Its front wall is laid in Flemish bond, with American bond on the sides and rear, and a one-story kitchen wing extends from the east end. A frame ell and porch were added in the early twentieth century. The plain exterior hides an unusually vivid interior. Original paint survives in most main-block rooms, including yellow, turquoise and green walls and trim, and a west parlor mantel with urns, sunbursts, Masonic symbols and multicolored polychromy. Doors are grained in rose and yellow, with sponge-painted panels upstairs, and some baseboards are marbleized. The nomination describes this as the least-altered and most spectacular example of such decoration found in Virginia. The Coiner family, established locally since the eighteenth century, held the property until 1976. About 35 acres of cropland and pasture, bounded by the river and State Route 865, were listed with the house.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the least-altered and most spectacular example yet discovered in Virginia of graining, marbleizing and polychromy combined with elaborate provincial woodwork, which was popular in the Valley of Virginia in the early nineteenth century. The colorful interior sits behind a deceptively plain exterior. The house also reflects the Coiner family, long established in the area, who owned it until 1976.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78003005, listed March 30, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NW of Crimora off VA 865, Crimora |
|---|---|
| County | Augusta County |
| Listed | March 30, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78003005 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1825 |
| Architect / builder | Built by the Coiners (also spelled Koyner or Koiner); no individual architect named |
| Architectural style | I-house with Flemish bond brick and provincial woodwork (early nineteenth century) |
| Areas of significance | Art, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good; the property is private, occupied and used as a private residence and agriculture, with the surrounding land used as cropland and pasture. |
| Acreage | 35 |
| Coordinates | 38.16781, -78.86299 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78003005.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712198
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.