037-0003

Bolling Island

VLR Listing Date

08/15/1989

NRHP Listing Date

12/27/1990

NRHP Reference Number

89001926
DHR's Virginia Board of Historic Resources easement

Situated in a rolling pastoral setting overlooking the James River in Goochland County, Bolling Island’s plantation residence is a much-evolved structure whose earliest portion, a section of the east wing, dated from about 1771. The central brick core was built between 1800 and 1810. The entire house was given its present appearance through a substantial remodeling carried out between 1820 and 1835 by Thomas Bolling, son of Col. William Bolling of Bolling Hall. Thomas Bolling gave the house the look of a Classical Revival villa by installing triple-hung sash and adding the portico with its Chinese lattice railing. An orangery was added to the east wing. The resulting composition has the Palladian-type tripartite scheme popularized in the region by Thomas Jefferson. Along with its three remaining dependencies, Bolling Island preserves an image of a prosperous early-19th-century family seat of the Virginia Piedmont. A devastating fire destroyed the original east wing in 2003, and it was rebuilt on the existing footprint in 2004.

Last Updated: August 4, 2023

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

For additional information Read

Nomination Form

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