Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
See link(s) below to view additional documentation.
VLR Listing Date 09/09/1969
NRHP Listing Date 10/15/1966
NHL Listing Date 10/09/1960
DHR's Virginia Board of Historic Resources easement
NRHP Reference Number 66000923
Westover is perhaps the nation’s premier example of colonial Georgian architecture as well as one of Virginia’s earliest and grandest plantation mansions. It was built ca. 1730 by William Byrd II, who helped survey the Virginia-North Carolina border and founded the city of Richmond. Westover’s stately air, graceful proportions, pedimented entrances, and paneled interiors have come to symbolize the high level of architectural quality attained during the colonial era. Complementing the house are original gardens and outbuildings as well as English wrought-iron gates. The Charles City County plantation remained in the Byrd family until 1817. In 1899 it was purchased by Mrs. Clarise Sears Ramsey who engaged the New York restoration architect William H. Mesereau to modernize the house and to add the hyphens. Mesereau also designed the library dependency, built on the site of Byrd’s library and destroyed during the 1862 Union occupation.
1975 National Historic Landmark Nomination
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: April 26, 2022
