Feb 23, 1972
National Register of Historic Places - Crozet House (Curtis Carter House)
Statement of Significant: On June 12, 1805, Charles Carter, surviving trustee of William Byrd, III, sold lot 718 to Curtis and John Carter. Though the two men undoubtedly lived on the property, there is no mention of a house until the Land Book of 1815 records a "new brick building" for the year 1814 and an improved property value that jumps from $3,000 to $8,000. Also in 1815, Curtis Carter, a bricklayer, insured the ell-shaped house for $7,500. Two brick outbuildings, a smokehouse, a stable, and a carriage house were included on the property. Carter sold the house in 1822 to Mrs. Ann Randolph. Six years later, it was purchased by Claudius Crozet, a Frenchman, who had been a supply officer for the armies of Napoleon before emigrating to the United State in 1816. His first position in America was that of Assistant Professor of Engineering at West Point. In 1823, he was appointed engineer of the State of Virginia, in which capacity he served until 1830, mapping watercourses, planning highways, and helping to found the Virginia Military Institute. The death of his twelve-year old daughter, as well as his belief that the future lay with the railroad, not with canals, prompted his desire to leave Virginia, and in 1832, he accepted an offer as engineer for the State of Louisiana. After several changes of hands, Mrs. Sarah A. Hendree (widow of George Hendree, a well-known cabinetmaker) bought the house in 1836. Though she occupied it only until 1844, she continued to own the house, renting it to such distingushed people as Judge J. D. Halyburton. When Mrs. Hendree sold the house in 1860, it again had a chequered career before being acquired at auction in 1873 by Dr. William B. Gray, in whose estate it remained until 1940. According to the Richmond Directories, it was during his ownership that the house was converted into a double one, and the Main Street façade "modernized"! In June of 1940, the house was bought by Mrs. Malcolm Perkins, Dr. Gray's great-niece, who restored it to its present condition. No picture or description of the original entrance was available, however, so the new porch and doorway were modelled after those of an eighteenth century house. On the interior, the front hall was restored to its original form, and the second stairway was removed. Marcellus Wright and Partners, architects, present occupants of the building, purchased the house from Mrs. Perkins in 1961, after being tenants since 1950.
National Register of Historic Places - Crozet House (Curtis Carter House)
Statement of Significant: On June 12, 1805, Charles Carter, surviving trustee of William Byrd, III, sold lot 718 to Curtis and John Carter. Though the two men undoubtedly lived on the property, there is no mention of a house until the Land Book of 1815 records a "new brick building" for the year 1814 and an improved property value that jumps from $3,000 to $8,000. Also in 1815, Curtis Carter, a bricklayer, insured the ell-shaped house for $7,500. Two brick outbuildings, a smokehouse, a stable, and a carriage house were included on the property. Carter sold the house in 1822 to Mrs. Ann Randolph. Six years later, it was purchased by Claudius Crozet, a Frenchman, who had been a supply officer for the armies of Napoleon before emigrating to the United State in 1816. His first position in America was that of Assistant Professor of Engineering at West Point. In 1823, he was appointed engineer of the State of Virginia, in which capacity he served until 1830, mapping watercourses, planning highways, and helping to found the Virginia Military Institute. The death of his twelve-year old daughter, as well as his belief that the future lay with the railroad, not with canals, prompted his desire to leave Virginia, and in 1832, he accepted an offer as engineer for the State of Louisiana. After several changes of hands, Mrs. Sarah A. Hendree (widow of George Hendree, a well-known cabinetmaker) bought the house in 1836. Though she occupied it only until 1844, she continued to own the house, renting it to such distingushed people as Judge J. D. Halyburton. When Mrs. Hendree sold the house in 1860, it again had a chequered career before being acquired at auction in 1873 by Dr. William B. Gray, in whose estate it remained until 1940. According to the Richmond Directories, it was during his ownership that the house was converted into a double one, and the Main Street façade "modernized"! In June of 1940, the house was bought by Mrs. Malcolm Perkins, Dr. Gray's great-niece, who restored it to its present condition. No picture or description of the original entrance was available, however, so the new porch and doorway were modelled after those of an eighteenth century house. On the interior, the front hall was restored to its original form, and the second stairway was removed. Marcellus Wright and Partners, architects, present occupants of the building, purchased the house from Mrs. Perkins in 1961, after being tenants since 1950.
Feb 23, 1972
Posted Date
Jul 12, 2023
Historical Record Date
Feb 23, 1972
Source Name
National Register of Historic Places
Source Website
Posted Date
Sep 27, 2021
Source Name
Library of Congress
