Hawkwood
Why it's listed
Hawkwood is a stuccoed brick country house in Louisa County, Virginia, built in the Italian or Tuscan Villa style. Alexander Jackson Davis, a prominent New York architect, designed it in 1851 for Richard O. Morris, a planter interested in horticulture and scientific agriculture, and it was complete by 1855. A projecting two-story gabled pavilion with a round-arched opening and Palladian window forms the former entrance, flanked by one-story wings. An arcaded veranda wraps the south wing, and a three-story tower rises above it. Inside, an octagonal hall opens to the principal rooms through broad archways. The house sits on a knoll among boxwood and shade trees, placed to take in views of the rolling countryside. An earlier frame overseer's house nearby was given picturesque gables and bargeboards in the mid-nineteenth century. Of the twenty-five to thirty villas Davis designed, only a few survive, and Hawkwood is one of just two original Italian Villa works, notable especially for its arcaded veranda.
Significance in brief: It was designed by nationally prominent architect Alexander Jackson Davis and is one of only two surviving original Italian Villa designs out of the roughly twenty-five to thirty picturesque villas he created. Scholar Jane B. Davies noted its skillful handling of irregular masses and its arcaded veranda, which is unique among surviving Davis villas.
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 70000809, listed September 17, 1970. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | S of Gordonsville off U.S. 15, Gordonsville |
|---|---|
| County | Louisa County |
| Listed | September 17, 1970 |
| Reference number | 70000809 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1854 - 1855 |
| Architect / builder | Alexander Jackson Davis (architect); Richard O. Morris (commissioned the house) |
| Architectural style | Italian or Tuscan Villa |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | At nomination in 1970 the house was occupied as a private residence in excellent condition and unaltered on its original site. A later HABS memorandum describes fire damage to the interior floors, with the brick walls surviving, before planned restoration. |
| Acreage | 404 |
| Within district | Green Springs Historic District |
| Coordinates | 38.01710, -78.19646 (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 70000809.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5685324
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.