The commonwealth’s Board of Historic Resources approved the listing during its quarterly public meeting when the Department of Historic Resources convened at James Madison’s Montpelier. The VLR is the commonwealth’s official list of places of historic, architectural, archaeological, and cultural significance.
The Chinn House, in Richmond County’s Town of Warsaw, was home to lawyer and judge Joseph William Chinn and his family. Completed in 1908, the large two-story dwelling is an excellent example of the popular hipped-roof variation of the Colonial Revival style, marked by handsome entry porches and bay windows. Spacious rooms on both floors feature Colonial Revival-inspired mantels and detailed decorative elements. Chinn, born in 1866 in Tappahannock, was appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeals (now the Supreme Court of Virginia). He died in 1936, and in 1969 the family donated the house to the Virginia Community College System.
“We are excited to see the Chinn House deservingly recognized as a historical landmark and proud of this designation for the Warsaw community,” said Dr. Shannon Kennedy, RCC President. Today it houses Rappahannock Community College administrative offices.