Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/15/1981
NRHP Listing Date 11/24/1982
NRHP Reference Number 82001827
This complex house, in the city of Staunton’s Gospel Hill Historic District, shows the late-19th century Queen Anne style at its most imaginative. Oakdene was designed in 1893 by the Philadelphia firm of Yarnell and Goforth, which borrowed forms and motifs from 16th- and 17th-century European precedents and combined them into a structure uniquely American, employing outstanding craftsmanship and fine materials. Defining characteristics of the style are the asymmetrical façade, a multiplicity of roof forms, a mixture of surface materials, and the many different window types. The “American” touch is the neighborly front porch and terrace. Oakdene’s conical tower is topped by an owl finial whose eyes were originally gas lit. Oakdene was built in 1893 for Edward Echols, president of the local National Valley Bank, and Virginia’s lieutenant governor from 1898 to 1902.
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: January 26, 2022
