081-0207 Vine Forest (Forest Oaks)

For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF

VLR Listing Date 06/19/1991

NRHP Listing Date 08/23/1991

NRHP Reference Number 91001084

The sprawling but well-appointed Vine Forest mansion (now called Forest Oaks) is an interesting essay in alterations and enlargements. The original core is a side-hall Federal dwelling built ca. 1806 for Matthew Houston, a member of one of the area’s prominent Scotch-Irish families. It was enlarged by Houston to a five-bay structure around 1812. The enlargement included a two-story center hall with arched ceiling, the form said to have been inspired by nearby Natural Bridge. The house was transformed into a Colonial Revival mansion in 1916 through further additions and alterations by architect Curtis Walton of Cleveland for his adoptive mother Lilly Walton. This remodeling included two large wings, the two-story east portico, and the Greek Revival-style window lintels. The principal interior change was the installation of an elaborately trimmed neo-Jacobean stair.

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: December 10, 2021