Robert L. Updike built this house in the city of Charlottesville in 1904. When seen at a distance, this large house has the appearance of a much older house that has had a Colonial Revival portico added to it at a later date. The house is two stories tall, three bays wide, and double pile with a full height portico on the façade and a wide one-story back porch. It is set on a low brick foundation without a basement.  The Robert L. Updike House was used as a rental property for much of the latter half of the 20th century, but was maintained in good condition.

The buildings and districts listed under the Charlottesville Multiple Resource Area nomination represent a cross section of all the city’s historic periods, from the founding of Charlottesville in the 1760s through the advent of the automobile and the impact it had on the city’s expansion. Also included are buildings that have played an important part in the history of Charlottesville’s black community. The Robert L. Updike House was listed in the registers under the Charlottesville MRA without a formal nomination document.