The Chimneys (Fredericksburg, Virginia)

The Chimneys is a historic house located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The house was constructed around 1771-1773. The house is named because of the stone chimneys at each end.[3] The Georgian home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in April 1975. Of note are the interior decorative woodwork in the moldings, millwork, paneling indicative of building styles of the period. The decorative carving on the mantelpiece as well as on the door and window frames is particularly significant.[1][4][5]

The Chimneys
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Virginia Landmarks Register
The Chimneys (1771) in Fredericksburg, Virginia
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Location	623 Caroline St., Fredericksburg, Virginia
Coordinates	38°18′1″N 77°27′28″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1771
Architectural style	Georgian
NRHP reference No.	75002109[1]
VLR No.	111-0015
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 3, 1975
Designated VLR	December 17, 1974[2]

Design and construction

The Chimneys' floor plan has two rooms on each side of a central hall.[6] The two-story house is framed with heavy timber with mortise and tenon joints secured with hardwood pegs. Each timber is marked by chiseled Roman numerals.[4][6] Spaces between wall studs are nogged with brick in the interior and exterior walls. Fredericksburg was a major port city in the colonies in the mid- to late 18th century and The Chimneys' hipped roof framing utilizes techniques common in the construction of ships' hulls at the time. The roof is supported by three heavy king post trusses.[4][6]

History

It is uncertain who originally owned The Chimneys. John Glassell (1731-1806),[7] a local merchant, is usually noted as the builder. Glassell came from Galloway, Scotland in the 1770s and purchased land in Fredericksburg from Charles Yates. Researchers at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg suggest that the house was built by Yates prior to the purchase by Glassell.[4][5]

During the American Revolution, John Glassell was a loyalist. He went to Scotland in 1775 and never returned. Ownership of The Chimneys passed to William Glassell to whom John Glassell had given power of attorney. An insurance policy written in 1792 showed William as the owner.[4]

In the 1800s, the house was bought and sold many times. One famous resident was Ellen Lewis Herndon "Nell" Arthur (1837-1880), later the wife of U.S. President Chester A. Arthur, who lived at The Chimneys as a child.[4] The house was purchased in 1966 by the president of the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation and, for a time, the house was rented for income. In 1975 the Foundation moved its museum and offices into The Chimneys.[4]

After William Vakos purchased and renovated it in 1982, the building was sold to Robert Mitchell III in 1985. In 2000, ownership passed to Tommy Mitchell (no relation), the current owner. A succession restaurants have operated out of the property since its renovation.[4]

Renovation

In 1982, the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation sold The Chimneys to William Vakos, who secured permission from Fredericksburg's Architectural Review Board and Zoning Board to create a restaurant in the building.[4] During the renovation, the structure's weatherboarding was repainted in the original colors and porches were added at the rear of the building as well as in the front of the building where a 2-story porch was built. A veranda overlooking an English garden was added. Plumbing, electrical systems, and heating were also replaced. Prior to reconstruction, all changes were approved by the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation[4]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
3. Notes on Virginia. Virginia Research Center for Archaeology, Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission. 1975. p. 9.
4. Makarechian, Ellen (11 March 2006). "The Chimneys: HFFI success story". The Free Lance-Star; Fredericksburg, Virginia. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
5. Loth, Calder, ed. (2000). The Virginia Landmarks Register (4th ed.). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. p. 181. ISBN 9780813918624. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
6. "The Chimneys" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. United States Department of the Interior; National Park Service. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
7. Hayden, Horace Edwin (1891). Virginia genealogies: a genealogy of the Glassell family of Scotland and Virginia. E.B. Yordy. p. 4.