Last updated: August 6, 2024
Place
Building #17
NPS Photo / Aaron Firth
Quick Facts
Location:
Fort Monroe, Va.
Significance:
Part of Fort Monroe National Monument
Designation:
National Register of Historic Places
OPEN TO PUBLIC:
No
Amenities
2 listed
Cellular Signal, Wheelchair Accessible
If you look closely at the buildings adjacent to and including Building # 17, you will notice common architectural features. Besides all being made of brick, you will notice similar symmetry, similar porches, similar columns, and a sense of standardization. In 1823, this structure and the building to the left was built to mirror one another. Further, two French engineers – Simon Bernard and Charles Gratiot – intended to connect these homes with a grand central building that was never constructed. Due to an American interjection of architectural style, these resulting buildings display a federal architectural feature.
Building # 17 was constructed to be bachelor officers’ quarters housing eight single officers, but eventually families joined fathers and husbands which promoted the conversion of Building # 17 into the four unit structure seen today. One well known resident was United States Army 2nd Lieutenant Robert E. Lee and his wife, Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee from 1831-1834. Lee served as the second in command of the engineers constructing the fort and was often left in charge of these efforts. Lee would primarily oversee construction of Fort Monroe’s moat and nearby Fort Calhoun (now Fort Wool). In 1832, Mary Custis Lee would give birth to the couple’s first son, George Washington Custis Lee. In 1834, Lee would be reassigned to duty in Washington, DC. Ongoing research continues to explore and to uncover the lives of all that once occupied this structure.
Building #17 is now the Headquarters of Fort Monroe National Monument and is not regularly open to the public.
Building # 17 was constructed to be bachelor officers’ quarters housing eight single officers, but eventually families joined fathers and husbands which promoted the conversion of Building # 17 into the four unit structure seen today. One well known resident was United States Army 2nd Lieutenant Robert E. Lee and his wife, Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee from 1831-1834. Lee served as the second in command of the engineers constructing the fort and was often left in charge of these efforts. Lee would primarily oversee construction of Fort Monroe’s moat and nearby Fort Calhoun (now Fort Wool). In 1832, Mary Custis Lee would give birth to the couple’s first son, George Washington Custis Lee. In 1834, Lee would be reassigned to duty in Washington, DC. Ongoing research continues to explore and to uncover the lives of all that once occupied this structure.
Building #17 is now the Headquarters of Fort Monroe National Monument and is not regularly open to the public.