Brook Hall
Also known as: 095-0004
Why it's listed
Brook Hall is a large brick mansion built around 1830 on a hilltop above the old stage road, now U.S. Route 11, in northern Washington County, Virginia. Colonel William Byars, a local militia officer, landowner, county justice and early trustee of Emory and Henry College, had it built. The house has five bays, two stories and a attached four-bay wing, and holds twenty-six rooms in about 8,800 square feet. Its T-plan, with a cross hall, is unusual and appears nowhere else in the county. Inside, carved mantels, reeded archways and a finished open-well stair survive, along with woodgrained doors and marbled baseboards in what may be original paint. Minor changes in the 1930s did little to alter its character. A stone springhouse, an early twentieth-century stone garage and a mid-twentieth-century tenant house complete the property. It was listed for its architecture, as a rare and well-preserved Federal mansion in southwest Virginia.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that Brook Hall is the best example of Federal architecture in Washington County and one of the most sophisticated in southwest Virginia. It is unusually large for the region and has an uncommon T-plan. Its carved woodwork and very early, possibly original, painted finishes are remarkably intact.
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 97000490, listed June 5, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 13160 Byars Ln., Abingdon |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | June 5, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97000490 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1829-1830 |
| Architectural style | Early Republic: Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The main house retains historical integrity, with minor 1930s rehabilitations. The springhouse is currently abandoned and deteriorating. The garage is used for storage. |
| Acreage | 15.7 |
| Coordinates | 36.76176, -81.80268 (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 97000490.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15205079
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.