Col Alto, Lexington, VA
**Col Alto** - National Register of Historic Places Ref # 89001925, date listed 11/19/1990
Nelson and Spottswood Dr.
Lexington, VA (Independent City)
Col Alto's stately Classical Revival house with its numerous additions and handsome grounds is one of several important early residences surrounding the historic community of Lexington and is significant as an example of the type of home favored by the region's leading families for over a century. The house is also significant for its associations with two of the area's most prominent citizens: James McDowell (1795-1851), for whom the house was built, and Henry St. George Tucker (1853-1932), whose family has a long tradition of distinguished service to the state and nation.
Completed in 1827, Col Alto's design is attributed to the local amateur architect, Samuel Reid McDowell, McDowell's first-cousin. James McDowell represented Rockbridge County in the Virginia General Assembly and served as governor from 1847 to 1849. In 1898 Col Alto was purchased by Henry St. George Tucker, dean of the Washington and Lee University law school and later acting president of the university. From 1921 until his death he represented the district in Congress. (1)
References (1) NRHP Nomination Form s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/10/6815/...
Col Alto, Lexington, VA
**Col Alto** - National Register of Historic Places Ref # 89001925, date listed 11/19/1990
Nelson and Spottswood Dr.
Lexington, VA (Independent City)
Col Alto's stately Classical Revival house with its numerous additions and handsome grounds is one of several important early residences surrounding the historic community of Lexington and is significant as an example of the type of home favored by the region's leading families for over a century. The house is also significant for its associations with two of the area's most prominent citizens: James McDowell (1795-1851), for whom the house was built, and Henry St. George Tucker (1853-1932), whose family has a long tradition of distinguished service to the state and nation.
Completed in 1827, Col Alto's design is attributed to the local amateur architect, Samuel Reid McDowell, McDowell's first-cousin. James McDowell represented Rockbridge County in the Virginia General Assembly and served as governor from 1847 to 1849. In 1898 Col Alto was purchased by Henry St. George Tucker, dean of the Washington and Lee University law school and later acting president of the university. From 1921 until his death he represented the district in Congress. (1)
References (1) NRHP Nomination Form s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/10/6815/...