Nomination Form
Richly ornamented and impeccably crafted, Horn Quarter has few peers among the Commonwealth’s Federal-period residences. Its pedimented portico and generous scale combine with refined Adamesque detailing to produce a composition of assured competence. The King William County house was built in 1829-30 for George Taylor, son of agrarian reformer John Taylor of Caroline County. It has architectural parallels to a group of Federal mansions that includes Hampstead in New Kent County, Magnolia Grange in Chesterfield County, and Upper Brandon in Prince George County, all likely sharing common artisans who used Asher Benjamin’s American Builder’s Companion (1806) as a source for details. The cynosure of the interior is a spiral stair ascending from basement to attic. Notable as well are the plasterwork ceiling medallions and cornices. Horn Quarter has formally arranged outbuildings and remnants of terraced gardens.
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
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia
