Tower House
Also known as: Edgewater; Marshland-on-the-Potomac; 029-0151
Why it's listed
Tower House is a frame residence on a 1.2-acre lot in southeastern Fairfax County, Virginia, about two miles north of Mount Vernon. It began in 1888 as a two-story Italianate villa built for Isaac B. Jones. In 1900-1901 new owners greatly expanded and remodeled it, adding a steeply pitched slate hipped roof, a semi-circular corner tower with a conical roof, and a wrap-around porch with a classical portico. The facade mixes Queen Anne asymmetry with Colonial Revival features such as a Palladian entrance, Tuscan columns, and a centered dormer. Part of the original villa survives at the rear. Inside, parquet floors, Adamesque plaster ceilings, a Federal Revival staircase, and a Neo-Classical parlor colonnade remain well preserved. It was listed for its architecture, as a rare local example of the transition from Queen Anne to early Colonial Revival design. Restoration work in 2002-2003 repaired missing and damaged features.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a rare, well-preserved example in Fairfax County of the shift from Late Victorian Queen Anne architecture to the early Colonial Revival style. It combines an asymmetrical form and round corner tower with classical ornament and a formal central entrance. Its interior is described as one of the best-preserved early Colonial Revival interiors in the county.
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 06000341, listed May 2, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 9066 Tower House Place, Alexandria |
|---|---|
| County | Fairfax (city and county) |
| Listed | May 2, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000341 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1888 - 1901 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Queen Anne; Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a single dwelling; the owners restored exterior and interior features in 2002-2003. |
| Acreage | 1.2 |
| Coordinates | 38.71158, -77.06701 (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 06000341.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18755147
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.