King-Runkle House
Why it's listed
Built in 1891 for L. A. King, this two-storey house at 201 Fourteenth Street N.W. in Charlottesville is a picturesque Victorian dwelling with Queen Anne massing and Eastlake detail. Weatherboard walls are broken by bands of vertical planking and a shingled pent roof between the storeys. The entrance porch, small balcony and projecting pavilion carry most of the ornament, including turned posts, sawn brackets, spool friezes with pendants and decorated gables. Stained glass lights appear in the door, vestibule and a bay window. The house was sold in 1921 to A.M.E. Runkle, who ran a rooming house there and apparently added a second storey to the rear wing and a side entrance. Later owners, including three sisters, kept it as a rooming house until the 1970s, when it was restored and rented to students. It was listed for its architecture, as one of the most intricately detailed Victorian houses remaining in the city, notable for contrasting materials and Eastlake ornament.
Significance in brief: The survey describes it as one of the most intricately detailed Victorian houses left in Charlottesville, and one of the most picturesque in the city. It is noted for contrasting surface materials and Eastlake ornament on the porches and gables. Reviewers accepted it under Criterion C as architecturally significant within the multiple resource area.
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 83003270, listed August 10, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 201 14th St., NW, Charlottesville (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Charlottesville |
| Listed | August 10, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83003270 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Victorian; Queen Anne massing with Eastlake detail |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good; used as a rental residence, and the document says it has been restored. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 38.03501, -78.49930 (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 83003270.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15238511
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.