( 3- 7 - 3- < Vt,R- '1/ 1~ (i~ f'/ttL - ~ / 1~/10 THEME: ARCHITECTURI; 1 1 Form 10-300 UNl~~JW~fh &&'r~in~TI#lffi1A,;wERIOR ~TATE : (Rev. 6°72) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Virginia C OUNTY: NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Independent City '{ llAT1011t.T, r· -. - -" ~ _; INV EN TO RY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY 1 1 :\!·!./ t: ~ :/. ' ! ENTRY OAT!c (Type all entries complete applicable sec tions)

_. ._._. ·,:,,.;:·-- . ·-._.·,:·. ··, ·:::c-./·o ··c, COMMON: James Semple House ANOI OR HISTORIC: James Semple House

Francis Street: South side. between Blair and Waller Streets C:ITY OR TOWN: CONGRESSIONAL D I S T RI CT . Williamsbur2: 001 I COOE COUNT Y : Virllinia l 51 Indenendent ritv

CATEGORY ACCESSIBLE QWNERSH/P STATUS z (Ch6 ck One) TO THE PU BLIC 0 Oisrrict ® 6uilding D Public P vblic Ac qui ,ition: ~ Occupi ed Ye~ : 0 Re>1,ic1ed D Sit. 0 Sr,uclure \tiS Private 0 In. Process 0 Unoccupied 0 Borh Be ing Considered l)nres tric lecl 0 Objecl O 0 Pr~.servotion wor~ D t­ 10 in progress ,;J No

u ·"'..R_EJEN T V~E (C:heck One c>r More e s Appropriate) ::, 0 Agri cult~rol 0 Government D Park 0 Transportation 0 Comments -~ 0 Commercial D lridustriol Privole Residence 0 Other ( Spec/ ly) t- 0 Educotionol D Milirory •D Religi ous 0 Entertoinment 0 'Mvseum 0 Scientific z F4\[email protected].{9f"'PJ~QP 1: RTY !OWNER'S NAME.: Colonial lHlli::im<:rmro- r,, .... w STREET A NO N VMBER , w Cl TY OR TOWN : S TAT E, ':O O F Williamsburg 23185 Virginia 51 l!gifl1f!;t§~);IQN QF .l,.~G_-'\f,, DESCRIPJION COURTHOUSE , REG ISTRY OF O E E O S. E TC : C 11-!n ~·::, o J..-_ _:C~l:.:e:.:r:.:k.:_:o:..,::f:...... :t::;h~e::_:C:'...:i~r:...:c::..::u~i~t::.....--.::C:!.!o~u~r~t::...i_~J:..'ca~m~e::..=s~C,,_;i~t9:v~r..i.·,"u,'mil.Ut<.J. v~------,~ ~ ST_R EE T AN C NUMB ER: -g ~ ::, " Court Street (2 blocks south of Duke of n 1n11rA<;t ~~ ~T) P­ Cl TY OR TOWN: S TAT E (T) COOE ::, Williamsburg Vi_rginia 51 rl'

TITI..E O F SUR\/ E: Y: '"z -! Historic American Buildino- s SurvPv ;o "Tl -< 0 DATE O F SU R VEY : l'i'.l Federal 5!ate 0 County Local 1938 0 0 z ::0 t>EPO~ITORY F OR S U R V EY R E CO R D S: C z I" "O

Library of Con1Hes,; "'l'I "'C: STREE T ANO NUMBE R , ll V' m 0 Can i tol Hill z CITY OR T O WN : STAT !:: ,__,_ r CODE -< Washington 0 D.C T 1 •-! Pl I 1:,7, DESCRIPTION _;_------.....C-..:....-~-.....c·------1 =-'-~--- (Check One) IX) EJ1cellent 0 Good D Fair O Deteriorated O Ruins O Unu:poHd CONDITION (Check---=---'---.----I One) ------c----'~------1(Check One) ;,9. Altered D Unalter•d [l Moved IX! Original Site 1------~'---'------c-c---~ DESCRIBE THE PR~5EN"f ANO ORIGINAL (if known) PH't'SIC"L APPe:•R..l>.NCE

The James Semple House is a frame house with clapboarding, having a two-storey rectangular center section with pedimented gable roof, gable­ end to the front, and two interior end-chimneys. The entrance is a Roman Doric porch, with dentil pediment and eaves, and a remarkable guilloche on its architrave, a feature probably suggested by The Builder's Companion of William Pain, published in London in 1765. Flanking the center are one storey wings with gable roofs to the side. They too are frame, with clapboarding, containing the dining room to the east, and a large drawing room to the west. In the center. section, originally, was a large salon with a fireplace at the west side. In the nineteenth century, a partition was sef up to subdivide the room, forming a narrow east-west hall between the wings.

The two small bedrooms in the upper level of the center section are m reached by a narrow, steep, and winding staircase, contained in the m East wing of the house, concealed behind the chimney in a manner similar to that used in the drawings for the first Monticello. Indeed, authorship z of the design of the Semple House is often ascribed to Thomas Jefferson, who was a resident of Williamsburg when the house was constructed c. 1770- 1780. Jefferson's first drawing for Monticello (1768), according to Water­ -I man, "paralells the design of the Randolph-Semple House to such a degree ;o that there can be no doubt that they are by the same author." C: n The Semple House lies at the far eastern end of Williamsburg, in fact, east of the Capitol which is the eastern terminus of the Duke of Gloucester -I Street east-west axis. The house was acquired and restored by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in 1932, after it had passed through the 0 hands of several owners in the nineteenth century. It had been changed z little, but had fallen by 1932 into some state of disrepair. The east V, chimney was rebuilt, as were the front porch steps. On the porch, square piers were removed and replaced with columns. The guilloche on the archi­ trave was restored after traces of the original. A wing attached to the south of the center block, added 1806-1823, was also removed. The nine­ teenth century hall partition remains in place. The Semple House, fortunately, is another of those in Williamsburg whose eighteenth century boundaries may still be followed on surviving deed records and maps. This then is the basis for the most reasonable boundary for this Landmark now.

Interestingly, a portion of Williamsburg was laid out according to a system of 5-pole measurements, the age-old measure deriving from medieval agricul­ tural methods. A pole being approximately 5 1/2 yards, a 5-pole lot then would be about 82 1/2 feet. The maps show that the eighteenth century property lines of the James Semple House begin at a point on Francis Street 247 .5 feet (15 poles) west of Waller Street, continuing east-west for 165 feet (10 poles). This is two lots, and they were never numbered. The lot '------' Fof'ffl 10·300a UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ST4TE (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Virginia NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES COUNTY INVENTORY. NOMINATION FORM Independent City 1 {NATIOH ..\T, H E'.I\j~ [·; FOR NPS USE Ol'IL=r-----j Y LA.N r; l:i." •. : \ i( J ) (Continuation Sheet) ENTRY NUMBEA I 04TE I (Numbe, •II entrlH) 7. Description second page

line runs back from the east-west line 264 feet, exactly 16 poles.

Colonial Williamsburg has constructed a number of small buildings on these four lots. None of them are original therefore. A small kitchen building a few feet to the east of the James Semple House is the only other original building on the site.

The house is still owned by the Colonial Williamsburg corporation and is used as a residence for one of its executive employees. It is well maintained, but not open to the public. The boundary line set by Colonial Williamsburg around the property is co-extensive with the historical justi­ fication just delivered.

,,

GPO 121-12~ Ill• SICNI FICANCE

PERIOD (Cfodcl< Or>" or Mor&•• Appropriate) D Pre-Columbian l O 16th Century ~ 18th Century [) 20th Century D 15th Century O 17th Century [J 19th Century

SPECIFIC OATElsl (IIApplkablr, tmdKnown) 177U-l/l:SU

AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Ch•cl< One or Mor""" AppropriateJ Aboriginal D Education [_] Political [] Urban Planning 0 Prehistoric: 0 Engineering [] Religion/P.hi. 0 Other {Specify} D Historic D Industry lo1ophy D A11ricultu,. .o Invention [] S<:ience 18 Archi lecture D Landscape [] Sculpture D Art Architecturft D Soc,ol/Human- 0 Commerce 0 Literotur& itarian D C0111munications 0 Milit,,.y 0 Theater D Conservation 0 Music D T ransportotion

STATEMENT OF SiGNIFICANCE

Th.e James Semple House is an excellent example of Palladio's "Roman Country House" adapted for use as a frame townhouse. It is a dis­ z tinguished and early example of the classicism which began to change the American architectural scene towaxds the end of the 18th century. 0 Its beauty derives largely from its perfect proportions; enhanced by delicate classical detailing. Although there is disagreement among 1- architectural experts, the authorship of the design of the James Semple u House is often ascribed to Thomas Jeffexson, who was a resident of :::, Williamsburg when the house was built c. 1770-1780. Its design has a remarkable affinity to those done by Jefferson for his first a:: Monticello in 1768. I- z w LU [9. MA)OR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES . .... ' ... ::·.;_ <.. ··. . . Marcus Whiffen, The Eighteenth Century Houses of Williamsburg (Williams- - burg 1960). Thomas T. Waterman, The Dwellings of Colonial America (Chapel Hill, 1950). Thomas T. Waterman, The Mansions of Virginia (Chapel Hill, 1946). Hugh Morrison, Early American Architecture (New York, 1952). Edith T. Sale, Interiors of Virginia Houses of Colonial Times(Richrnond,1927 . Richard Pratt, A Treasury of Early American,Homes (~ew York, 1949).

f;tot\;q,eocRAPHrcAL oA r-A ··· ··· . · > " .. · .., :< ·r: > · -.... (i' : > _··_· "'-"r""==~L:..:A_:_T:_l:..:T_:_U~O.;...E=.A.::N..;,0.;.... .;...L:..:n~N-G-l-'T-U-"O--'E-C-0-0-R-0--'1-N-A-T ... E--'s"'"""'=-"""T""',r'-"'°"'...,."'"L~O.~T~l~T~Uc:r>:-:E':"':-A':-;N:';:0:'."":""L':::C'l~N~G:":'1"::.,...::':1,';:o~E:-C'::"::'O'::O-::R~o:':1:'.":'N":'A"'.'.:T:'::E:'::$..,..-__,_._ DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROOERTY O DEFINING TH,. l.t:.NT::CF< POtN I OF A ::>rtOPERTY 1---~------,------·- R-- ___...... o~F.L_L_s_s_T_H.,A __ t:!. __ T~E=N=A=· c=R=E="----· ___ _ CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDE UTM 1..ATITUDE LONGITUDE Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Sec011ds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds 0 0 NW . . . 0 I • 0 i, • NE 0 ' .. 0 . 0 SE . . 0 . 18.349860.4125980 C:111 II . . o_ . L APPROXIMATE ACRl;;AGE OF NOMINATED PROPEl'ITY: On,a IL.1ST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERL. ... PPING STAT!!: OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES ~S..... T_A_T_E_,...... ;_ ____..... ______r-c-o-o=-=E-r-C-0-U-N-T=-v------,--:C:ODE m m STATE: CODE COUNTY: co.:,e:

STATE: CODE COUNTY: COOE z

STATE, CODE COUNTY: COOE -I ;a .I HFORM t?R!PAR:i:i.,oY/ .< ··•:····•-••-·· ··:·>·•·.····)ft:· +··:··•·< >?: C: NAME ANO TITLE;: n James Dillon Archi tect11'Y"!:1 l Hi ~tori an ORGANIZATION OATE -I National Historic Landmarks. Histori~ Site~ ~uTVev I10/16/74 IITRl;;ET ANO NUMBER: 0 1100 L. Street, N.W. z CITY OR TOWN: STATE CODE Washington .. D. c. 11 l]J@ttt:41"~ l.l.i\1$:0H OF•FICE~ ¢~"j':IFJC.t..TJQ~t·::f :, ·.. ::;::. ::•::),:::,::y k~l'JQMt..LRECISTER.·.veR1FlCATION : .. _.: .. •:.•: .... ·..

As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na­ I hereby certify that thi$ property is included in the tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion National Register. in the National Register and certify that it has becrn ( NitT; ~:n ,\ L ,...... ,..,, '.L_ ondoark :•_'!·' '•I~·,.;~,.:.-,··. "'valuated accord~ to the c•iteria and procewres set L,UJ :: ,.~I.'. -1/J I. ,. ,.,. ) !.)c:;],_;::a.:cd: 1 · '· ). :,1 7. /.C. • forth by the National Park Service. The recommended ------Dl.. ctor, Otllce of Archeolo•y • r,d Hl•torir: Pre•e,varfon d :::le level of significance of this nomination is: National O State D Local 0 lNATt::;;;>:, :· ct:1:;_,,~-' ~(f:-! ( ~NATIONAL RIS!O~I: D,ate Name ______LA__ ~_-.~_ .. ____ -·_:_.'_) ______.,.,; _,, ::;~,. ~· c ale !. ATTEST: ,1rc!1. Gurvcy:l '

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