Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 07/07/1970
NRHP Listing Date 09/15/1970
NRHP Reference Number 70000785
One of Virginia’s most distinctive examples of country rural Greek Revival domestic architecture, this dwelling illustrates how the classical architectural vocabulary could be adapted to embellish fully modern, specifically American forms. Abel Beach Nichols, a Connecticut merchant, settled in Virginia in 1820 and built Three Otters in Bedford County some ten years later. Although its designer/builder has not been identified, much of the detailing, inside and out, was faithfully reproduced from Asher Benjamin’s The Practical House Carpenter (1830), a popular pattern book of the period. A unique feature is the series of small windows in the metopes that, when opened, form a ventilation system. Other features of interest include the marbleized stair, the Flemish-bond brickwork, and the ruins of an original brick chicken house.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: September 14, 2021
