Goochland County Court Square
.jpg){kind=link}
Why it's listed
Goochland County Court Square is the civic heart of the county seat, a two-acre walled square dominated by the county court house of 1826. The two-story brick building follows a temple form with a pedimented Tuscan portico, red brick, white trim and green louvered shutters. The front wall is laid in Flemish bond, and most of the original six-over-six window sash survives. Inside, the original gallery and its two staircases remain, along with some early wooden benches. A 1955 rear addition and a 1966 arcade joining an annex are later changes. Other structures on the square include an 1848 stone jail, the original one-story brick clerk's office and a Confederate monument. The court house was built by Dabney Cosby and Valentine Parrish, who supplied the design. Cosby had worked for Thomas Jefferson at the University of Virginia, which probably explains the Jeffersonian character. The group shows how a rural county seat functioned in the nineteenth century.
Significance in brief: The court house is one of the best preserved Roman Revival or Jeffersonian court houses in Piedmont Virginia. It shows Thomas Jefferson's influence on the masons who worked for him and his idea of ancient Roman architecture as a model for the young Republic. Together with the clerk's office, jail and wall, it shows what a rural nineteenth-century county seat needed.
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 70000797, listed September 15, 1970. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | On VA 6, Goochland |
|---|---|
| County | Goochland County |
| Listed | September 15, 1970 |
| Reference number | 70000797 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific date 1826) |
| Architect / builder | Dabney Cosby and Valentine Parrish |
| Architectural style | Roman Revival / Jeffersonian |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition marked good and altered; the interior has been renovated and a 1955 rear addition and 1966 arcade to an annex were added. The form's present use is government. |
| Acreage | 10 |
| Coordinates | 37.68283, -77.88428 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 70000797.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712379
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.