Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 10/21/1975
NRHP Listing Date 04/30/1976
NRHP Reference Number 75002034
The refined proportions and correct classical detailing of the Greek Revival Belle Aire farmhouse illustrate the strong influence of architectural pattern books in the mid-19th-century and the uses to which imaginative local craftsmen could put them. Most of the detailing was adapted from illustrations in the works of Boston architect Asher Benjamin and applied to the regional I-house form. The house was completed in 1849 for Madison Pitzer, a large landowner in the Roanoke area. Local builder Gustavus Sedon, who erected similar area houses, is recorded to have installed Belle Aire’s windows and may have played a role in the design. A stately air is achieved with the use of a two-level Doric portico, a device reserved for more important antebellum dwellings of the Roanoke Valley. The wide corner pilasters are features common to brick Greek Revival houses in the area.
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: August 6, 2021
