Bellair, in

Albemarle County, Virginia Albemarle County is a United States county (United States), county located in the Piedmont region of Virginia, Piedmont region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, Virginia, Charlottes ...

, is a historic farm. The farm is significant for the architecture of its buildings and for its association with owners important in the political, religious, and economic life of the state. A 250-acre portion of the farm was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1992. Martin Dawson, owner in 1819, was a co-founder of the Rivanna Navigation Company and eventually became the largest donor to the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

up to the time of his bequest. Its southern boundary is the Hardware River. The main house on the property is a Federal-style building with dual chimneys dating from 1794 to 1817 period. Architect Marshall S. Wells designed and/or supervised some

Colonial Revival style The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exposition, Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened A ...

additions in the 1930s and there was further addition of a

Palladian window Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Republic of Venice, Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetr ...

and more in the 1960s. an
''Accompanying three photos''
/ref> A smokehouse is one additional

contributing building In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distr ...

on the property.

References

Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Federal architecture in Virginia Colonial Revival architecture in Virginia Houses in Charlottesville, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Albemarle County, Virginia {{AlbemarleCountyVA-NRHP-stub