Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 04/16/1974
NRHP Listing Date 07/30/1974
NRHP Reference Number 74002146
An architectural anomaly for the Roanoke region, Monterey is a low dwelling with a verandah is more akin to the spacious mid-19th-century cottages of the Gulf Coast than the standard two-story houses of Virginia. Like many Greek Revival works throughout the state, the house has details derived from Asher Benjamin’s widely popular pattern book The Practical House Carpenter (1830). Monterey was built in 1846 for Yelverton Oliver, a landowner. Family tradition holds that Oliver got the idea for the form while on a trip to New Orleans to race horses. Monterey is an exceptionally well-crafted building, employing precise Flemish-bond brickwork and boldly molded woodwork. Distinctive features are the triple-hung sashes in the front rooms and the exterior Doric cornice. A rear wing was added around 1870. Although within the city limits, Monterey retains a rural setting.
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 23, 2022
