127-0064

Stewart-Lee House

VLR Listing Date

01/18/1972

NRHP Listing Date

05/05/1972

NRHP Reference Number

72001527
DHR's Virginia Board of Historic Resources easement

This town house, located in the City of Richmond’s Grace Street Commercial Historic District, briefly served as the home of Robert E. Lee after the surrender at Appomattox Court House. Almost the sole survivor of the scores of Greek Revival dwellings that once lined the streets of downtown Richmond, the Stewart-Lee House at 707 E. Franklin Street was begun in 1844 for Norman Stewart, a tobacco merchant from Rothesay, Scotland. After the outbreak of the Civil War, Stewart’s nephew, John Stewart, rented the house to Gen. Custis Lee to serve as a bachelor officers’ quarters. In 1864 the house was given over to Robert E. Lee’s wife and daughters, left homeless after the federal government confiscated Arlington. In June 1865 Lee, seeking privacy after years of war, moved his family from here to Powhatan County. The Stewart family presented the house to the Virginia Historical Society in 1893 for its headquarters. The Stewart-Lee House is now owned by the Historic Richmond Foundation.

Last Updated: June 2, 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

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