St. Julien (Spotsylvania County, Virginia)
Design
The house is a two-story, single-pile (only one room between the front and back of the building), Federal structure. St. Julien has a five-bay front. An unusual design element of the house is the in antis, or recessed portico at the summit of stone steps up to the front door. The most distinctive feature of St. Julien is its entrance bay. The balcony of the portico is faced with a smaller scale version of the modillion-and-fretwork cornice that encircles the house. A fanlight with wooden mullions. Above the front door, on the second floor, a door and sidelights mirror the portico's design. The house has a hip roof covered with sheet metal with interior end chimneys.
History
St. Julien was the home of Francis Taliaferro Brooke (1763-1851), an important figure in early Virginia politics. Brooke was elected to the State Senate in 1800 and appointed a Judge of the General Court in 1804. Brook eventually became the President of the Supreme Court of Appeals in Virginia. Brook purchased 200 acres (81 ha) in Spotsylvania County in 1796 when he moved his practice and residence to Fredericksburg, Virginia. This tract became St. Julien.
Henry Clay was a frequent visitor to St. Julien. Brooke lived on the plantation from the time of the building of the house until his death there in 1851.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ^ "Spotsylvania: 'Sunday in the country'". The Free Lance-Star; Fredericksburg, Virginia. October 13, 1990. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
- ^ Amrhine, Richard (January 11, 2008). "St. Julien undergoing major renovation project". The Free Lance-Star; Fredericksburg, Virginia. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
- ^ Loth, Calder, ed. (2000). Virginia Landmarks Register (4th ed.). Virginia Department of Historical Resources. p. 498. ISBN 9780813918624. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
- ^ "St. Julien" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination Form. United States Department of the Interior: National Park Service. Retrieved June 4, 2012.