Roxbury
Why it's listed
Roxbury is a two-story frame house finished in 1861 on a ridge near the Rappahannock River in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Its T-shaped plan, asymmetrical layout and steeply pitched, many-gabled roof with deep eaves and sawnwork ornaments reflect the picturesque style promoted by Calvert Vaux in his 1857 book Villas and Cottages. Inside, the decoration is restrained, limited mainly to marble mantels, molded plaster cornices and a pair of Gothic-style bookcases in the library. A mid-nineteenth-century double-pen log outbuilding also survives. The house was built for Dabney Carr Wirt, son of the jurist William Wirt, and paid for by Juliet Washington, his mother-in-law. No architect is tied to the design; a local builder using a pattern book may have produced it. Houses of this type are rare in Virginia, where major building largely halted during the Civil War and Reconstruction, which is why Roxbury was recognized for its architecture. The nominated area covers about ten acres, including the house, its yard and the graded field to the east.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents Roxbury as a notable mid-Victorian house in the picturesque mode, following the type popularized by Calvert Vaux. Houses of this kind are fairly common in the northern states but extremely rare in the South, especially Virginia, where fine house building nearly stopped with the Civil War. It is therefore treated as an important architectural document of its time and place.
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 79003096, listed March 15, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1.7 mi. S of Oak Grove, Oak Grove |
|---|---|
| County | Westmoreland County |
| Listed | March 15, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79003096 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1861 |
| Architectural style | Mid-Victorian picturesque (in the manner of Calvert Vaux) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Maintained as a residence; the form says it is occupied and used as a private residence. |
| Acreage | 10 |
| Coordinates | 38.15837, -77.00095 (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 79003096.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15273453
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.