Boxley-Sprinkle House
Also known as: Vdhr # 128-5978
Why it's listed
Standing on a prominent corner lot in South Roanoke, this two-story brick house began around 1907 as a Victorian dwelling with a corner turret, polygonal bays and a wraparound porch. Robert F. Boxley, a railroad contractor who came to Roanoke in the early 1900s, is assumed to have built it himself, since no architect has been identified. After his death in 1919, the house passed to the Sprinkle family. Building permits from 1939 and 1948 point to remodeling, and the house was reoriented to face Crystal Spring Avenue and given a full-height portico with paired Tuscan columns, in keeping with Colonial Revival fashion. Elements of the original design survive on the 26th Street side, including diamond-patterned transom and sidelights and the wraparound porch. The 1.15-acre lot also holds a 1988 garage and a tennis court dating to about 1960. The house is recognized for its architecture and for what it shows about South Roanoke's growth and changing tastes between 1907 and 1954.
Significance in brief: The house is an unusual example of one of the earliest houses in South Roanoke, originally built in the Victorian style and later remodeled in the Colonial Revival style with a full-height classical portico. It is significant locally under Criterion C in architecture. It reflects both the development of the South Roanoke neighborhood and the changing architectural tastes of the period.
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 04001275, listed November 27, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2611 Crystal Spring Ave., Roanoke |
|---|---|
| County | Roanoke (city and county) |
| Listed | November 27, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04001275 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1907-1954 |
| Architect / builder | Robert F. Boxley |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revival (Colonial Revival, with remnants of earlier Victorian design) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently in use as a single dwelling, with a non-contributing garage and tennis court on the property. |
| Acreage | 1.2 |
| Coordinates | 37.24479, -79.95031 (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 04001275.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16845403
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.