Gunston Hall
Also known as: Gunston Hall Manor
Why it's listed
Gunston Hall is a brick plantation house built between 1755 and 1758 on Gunston Neck in Fairfax County, Virginia, for George Mason. Mason planned the building's shape, floor plan and materials. William Buckland, a young English joiner brought over on a four-year indenture, carved the interior woodwork and designed the porches. The exterior is plain, with Flemish bond brickwork, stone quoins and five dormers, but the interiors are elaborate. The Palladian Room is described as among the most important examples of carved decoration of its period in the country, and the Chinese Chippendale Room is unique in Virginia. The south porch is a rare Colonial Gothic octagon. Mason wrote the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights, which influenced the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, and he died at the house in 1792. The Commonwealth of Virginia received the property in 1932. The grounds include a boxwood allee, restored gardens, a cemetery and reconstructed outbuildings.
Significance in brief: The house was the home of George Mason, whose writings, including the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights, influenced the American Revolution, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution of 1787. The nomination also stresses its architecture, especially the carved interior woodwork by William Buckland, including the Palladian Room and the Chinese Chippendale Room, and the unusual Colonial Gothic south porch.
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 66000832, listed October 15, 1966. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 10709 Gunston Rd., Mason Neck |
|---|---|
| County | Fairfax (city and county) |
| Listed | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference number | 66000832 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799 |
| Architect / builder | George Mason/William Buckland |
| Architectural style | Colonial Georgian-era Virginia plantation house with Palladian and Chinese Chippendale interiors and a Colonial Gothic south porch |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Historic - Non-Aboriginal |
| Level of significance | National, State |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated December 19, 1960 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored; in excellent condition, owned by the Commonwealth of Virginia, maintained by the National Society of Colonial Dames and open to the public as a museum. |
| Acreage | 555.7 |
| Coordinates | 38.66368, -77.16117 (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 66000832.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q1554859
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.