Shack Mountain
Encyclopedia
Shack Mountain is a house near Charlottesville, Virginia
, that is a tribute to Thomas Jefferson
's architectural style. It was designed by and for Fiske Kimball
(1881-1955), an architectural historian who was the founder of the University of Virginia School of Architecture
, and who is credited with restoring respect for Jefferson's architectural ability. The house derives its name from the Shackelford family, who owned and settled the property in the 18th century.
. The house was built in 1935-36. Like Jefferson at Monticello, Kimball found a site with a commanding view of the wooded hills around Charlottesville. Kimball's intended name for the house was Tusculum, but the name "Shack Mountain," for earlier owners of the property, remained. Kimball and his wife Marie used the house as a retreat, mainly at Christmas and for two weeks in June, until they both died in 1955. They willed the house to the Philadelphia Museum of Art
, where Kimball had been director. The museum sold the house to a private owner.
portico with paired stucco columns. Windows are mostly triple-hung sashes. The roof is a shallow standing-seam metal hipped structure that defers to the portico. Exterior balustrades are in the Chinese Chippendale pattern. Entry is through the portico, with the front door leading into a shallow round vestibule projecting into the half-octagonal parlor to the left side with a curved door, an adaptation of Pavilion IX at the University of Virginia. A corresponding alcove leads to the cross corridor, while another door leads to the dining room which occupies the right side of the front octagonal volume. A wing to the rear contains kitchens and bedrooms, none of which are of unusual design. A basement houses utility spaces.
Shack Mountain was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
on September 1, 1976, and was declared a National Historic Landmark on October 5, 1992.
The house is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) north-northwest of Charlottesville.
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
, that is a tribute to Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
's architectural style. It was designed by and for Fiske Kimball
Fiske Kimball
Fiske Kimball was an American architect, architectural historian and museum director.-Biography:Kimball was born in Newton, Massachusetts on December 8, 1888....
(1881-1955), an architectural historian who was the founder of the University of Virginia School of Architecture
University of Virginia School of Architecture
The School of Architecture at the University of Virginia is a national leader in architectural education, conferring degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Architectural History, and Urban and Environmental Planning...
, and who is credited with restoring respect for Jefferson's architectural ability. The house derives its name from the Shackelford family, who owned and settled the property in the 18th century.
History
Intended as a retirement home for Kimball, the house is based on Jefferson's design for FarmingtonFarmington, (Albemarle County, Virginia)
Farmington is a house near Charlottesville, Virginia that was greatly expanded by a design by Thomas Jefferson that Jefferson executed while he was President of the United States. The original house was built in the mid-18th century for Francis Jerdone on a property. Jerdone sold the land and...
. The house was built in 1935-36. Like Jefferson at Monticello, Kimball found a site with a commanding view of the wooded hills around Charlottesville. Kimball's intended name for the house was Tusculum, but the name "Shack Mountain," for earlier owners of the property, remained. Kimball and his wife Marie used the house as a retreat, mainly at Christmas and for two weeks in June, until they both died in 1955. They willed the house to the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
, where Kimball had been director. The museum sold the house to a private owner.
Description
The one-story, T-shaped house features a projecting octagonal space to either side at the front. Fronting the elongated side of the octagon is a TuscanTuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
portico with paired stucco columns. Windows are mostly triple-hung sashes. The roof is a shallow standing-seam metal hipped structure that defers to the portico. Exterior balustrades are in the Chinese Chippendale pattern. Entry is through the portico, with the front door leading into a shallow round vestibule projecting into the half-octagonal parlor to the left side with a curved door, an adaptation of Pavilion IX at the University of Virginia. A corresponding alcove leads to the cross corridor, while another door leads to the dining room which occupies the right side of the front octagonal volume. A wing to the rear contains kitchens and bedrooms, none of which are of unusual design. A basement houses utility spaces.
Shack Mountain was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on September 1, 1976, and was declared a National Historic Landmark on October 5, 1992.
The house is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) north-northwest of Charlottesville.
External links
- Shack Mountain, Albemarle County, two photos at Virginia DHR
- National Register of Historic Places, Nomination Form', United States Department of the InteriorUnited States Department of the InteriorThe United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
, National Park ServiceNational Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
(pdf) - Shack Mountain, part of Fiske exhibit at the University of Virginia
- 'Curve Appeal', David Maurer, The Daily ProgressThe Daily ProgressThe Daily Progress is the sole daily newspaper in the vicinity of Charlottesville, Virginia. It has been published continuously since 1892. According to the newspaper history published in the 75th anniversary edition in September, 1967, the paper was founded by James Lindsay...
, Charlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
, 9 January 2011