Kenmore
Also known as: Millbrook
Why it's listed
Kenmore is a brick house at 1201 Washington Avenue in Fredericksburg, Virginia, built by Fielding Lewis for his bride, Betty Washington, sister of George Washington, after Lewis acquired the land in 1752. The two-story, five-bay entrance facade is plain but well proportioned, with a modillioned cornice and a jerkin head roof. The garden front has a small one-story pedimented Doric portico, and the walls are laid in Flemish bond. Inside, the first-floor drawing room, dining room and library hold remarkable plaster ceilings and chimney pieces combining Rococo and Adamesque forms. The library ceiling design can be traced to a plate in Batty Langley's builder's treasury. Such work was very rare in eighteenth-century American houses. Lewis was also a Revolutionary patriot, appointed in 1775 as commissioner of the Fredericksburg small arms factory, and he invested much of his own money in it. The house has been carefully restored, its dependencies reconstructed, and it operates as a museum with eighteenth-century furniture.
Significance in brief: The plain exterior contrasts with exceptional Rococo and Adamesque plasterwork on the ceilings and chimney pieces of the first-floor rooms, considered among the finest colonial work in the country. It is also known as the home of Fielding Lewis, a Revolutionary patriot who oversaw the Fredericksburg small arms factory.
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 69000325, listed June 4, 1969. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1201 Washington Ave., Fredericksburg (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Fredericksburg |
| Listed | June 4, 1969 |
| Reference number | 69000325 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 18th Century |
| Architect / builder | Fielding Lewis (builder) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated April 15, 1970 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition, carefully restored, little altered, occupied and open to the public as a museum; the two flanking dependencies have been reconstructed on their original foundations. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Within district | Fredericksburg Historic District |
| Coordinates | 38.30417, -77.46636 (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 69000325.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q1738778
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.