Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 07/31/1980
NRHP Listing Date 10/30/1980
NRHP Reference Number 80004176
Perry Hill is a rare example of Gothic Revival cottage architecture adapted for a central Virginia country residence. Such building types were popularized in the mid-19th century by the writings of Andrew Jackson Downing. Acceptance of the Gothic style was limited in Virginia partly because of the popularity of the Classical Revival styles that dominated architectural taste until the Civil War. Col. Thomas Moseley Bondurant, a Whig politician and publicist in Buckingham County, built the house for his daughter and son-in-law ca. 1851-52. The house is said to have been named in honor of Oliver Hazard Perry, a naval hero of the War of 1812. Typical of the style, Perry Hill has Gothic windows with Y mullions, pointed gables decorated with sawn-work bargeboards, and clustered chimney stacks. The rectangular outline and symmetrical plan are influenced by traditional Virginia house design.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: November 4, 2021
