Nomination Form
One of Virginia’s largest and most richly appointed historic houses, Centre Hill symbolizes the prosperity and sophistication enjoyed by antebellum Petersburg. It was completed in 1823 for Robert Bolling, who had amassed a fortune in Petersburg real estate, tobacco inspections, and industry. It was made even more elaborate in the 1840s and 1850s when the present veranda and east wing were added and the interior trim was augmented and elaborated. Following the siege of Petersburg during the Civil War, the house was commandeered for Union headquarters by Gen. G. L. Hartsuff, who was visited here by President Abraham Lincoln on April 7, 1865. Centre Hill remained a Bolling home until 1900 when it was purchased by Charles Hall Davis, who further embellished the interior, adding a Federal-revival stair. President William Howard Taft was a guest at Centre Hill in 1909. The handsomely restored mansion is the centerpiece of the Centre Hill Historic District, and is now a city-owned museum.
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
