Sunnyside
Also known as: Vdhr # 104-0006; Duke House
Why it's listed
Sunnyside is a Gothic Revival house on about two wooded acres at the edge of Charlottesville, Virginia. It began in 1800 as a two-room, one-and-one-half-story log farmhouse built by John Alphin on a 590-acre tract. In 1857 Ira Garrett covered the logs with weatherboards and added a wing and porch. In 1858 William Carroll remodeled the house after Washington Irving's Gothic Revival home of the same name in Tarrytown, New York, adding scroll-sawn verge boards, pointed-arch windows and doors, arched shutters, and a chimney with octagonal pots. The Duke family owned it from 1863 to 1963 and added a frame wing in 1894. The University of Virginia acquired it in 1963 and uses it as faculty and administrative housing. It was listed for its architecture, as a rare and convincing Virginia example of the cottage orne that grew gradually from a small log dwelling.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an appealing and unusually successful example of Gothic Revival (cottage orne) architecture, which is rare in Virginia. Its asymmetry results from a true evolution from a small log house, and its 1858 remodeling was modeled on Washington Irving's Sunnyside in Tarrytown, New York. Its wooded setting survives amid urban sprawl.
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 03001086, listed October 23, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2150 Barracks Rd., Charlottesville (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Charlottesville |
| Listed | October 23, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03001086 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1953 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used by the University of Virginia as faculty and administrative housing; a non-contributing modern garage is on the property. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 38.05592, -78.50372 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 03001086.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16900925
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.