Phillips-Ronald House
Also known as: Carrington Lybrook House; Five Chimneys; 150-15
Why it's listed
Built in 1851-1852 on the southwest edge of Blacksburg's original town squares, this one-story brick house follows a double-pile, center-passage plan under a hipped roof. The front is laid in Flemish bond, while the sides and rear use American bond. Its five-bay facade has a central entrance with transom and sidelights. A porch with sawn brackets and spindles was added in the late nineteenth century. John R. Phillips, a merchant and physician, likely built it, and the Ronald brothers, a banker-merchant and a lawyer, bought it in 1853. A. G. Smith, a horticulturist, acquired it in 1936, repaired it, added a second ell and a garage, and created the ornamental gardens. The house is significant as the only one-story example among five regional houses of its form, and it shows how buildings were adapted over time. Archaeological testing found a brick and limestone walkway behind the kitchen. The Town of Blacksburg bought the property in 1986.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues for significance under criterion C as a good example of a regionally popular vernacular form in a rare one-story variant. It is the only one of five mid-nineteenth-century double-pile center-passage houses to be built with one story. It has mid- and late-nineteenth-century decorative features and 1930s repairs and landscaping that show how regional buildings changed over time.
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 89001904, listed November 13, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Draper Rd. at Washington St., Blacksburg |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | November 13, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001904 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1850-1938 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Other: double-pile center-passage plan |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the Town of Blacksburg since 1986, which plans to repair and keep the house and grounds as a community amenity; current function listed as work in progress. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 37.22702, -80.41339 (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 89001904.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14713056
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.