Keister House
Also known as: Keister House #1; 60-280
Why it's listed
Built in the 1830s on Giles Road northeast of Blacksburg's historic center, this two-story brick house has four bays and two similar rooms divided by a brick partition, with a door to each room. Exterior chimneys rise at each end. The front is laid in Flemish bond and has its early doors, original louvered blinds and a molded brick cornice. Inside are Federal-style mantels with sunburst tablets and nearly complete original paneled wainscot, some with painted graining uncovered by later owners. Tradition says the land was granted in 1800 and a log house was built first, later linked to the brick house by a corridor. John Keister owned the property in 1840, and it stayed in the family until a 1935 foreclosure. The log section was later demolished and a rear addition built in 1971. It was listed for architecture because it is a well-preserved example of a rare two-room form in Montgomery County, where only four brick examples were recorded for 1825-1900.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is significant under Criterion C as a well-preserved example of a rare two-room-plan variation of the hall-parlor house form. Only four brick two-room-plan houses from 1825-1900 were found in Montgomery County, and this is one of the two best preserved. Alterations were mostly to the rear and do not affect its visual integrity.
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 89001880, listed November 13, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 607 Giles Rd., Blacksburg |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | November 13, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001880 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1830s |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th century: two-room-plan dwelling |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a single dwelling, with a noncontributing mid-20th-century garage and a rear addition containing modern rooms. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 37.24047, -80.41701 (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 89001880.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712655
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.