The house at 8106 Three Chopt Road. Photos courtesy CVRMLS.
After nearly a half-century in the same family ownership, a relocated 18th-century house beside a Henrico County office park is on the market for its next caretaker.
Cheswick, a two-story Cape Cod-style colonial at 8106 Three Chopt Road, was listed for sale this month by descendants of Fred and Helen Laughon, who purchased the house and moved it about 5,000 yards from its original location when the adjacent Forest Office Park was developed in the 1970s.
Their son, Tom Laughon, who lives in a house next door, listed Cheswick with Scott Ruth of Shaheen, Ruth, Martin & Fonville Real Estate. Ruth attended Collegiate School with one of Tom’s daughters, who with their father are heirs to the property.
Ruth said the house, which was listed June 12 but not shown publicly until Wednesday, is being marketed for resale as a private residence but also could be rezoned for commercial use as an office.
The English basement.
The 1,500-square-foot house, on about a half-acre, is priced at $415,000. The latest county assessment valued the property at $292,100.
“We’ve had interested parties come in to see it that have a familiarity with historical properties from outside of the Richmond area,” Ruth said. “There is a group of buyers that like to follow historical properties, and that’s gained some interest as well.”
Tom Laughon, who owns local business consulting firm Catch Your Limit with wife Melissa, said he and his daughters, who both live in North Carolina, are ready to sell the house after the death of his mother Helen in January.
“Our hope is truly that someone will be able to take it and embrace it and give it the kind of care that my folks did,” he said.
Helen and Fred, who died in 2002, were known locally for their creative endeavors in silhouette-making and woodworking, respectively.
Fred, a Baptist minister, spent his retirement carving wooden dolls and miniature furniture for Colonial Williamsburg, while Helen and their daughter – Neville Elizabeth “Nel” Laughon – collaborated on a silhouette-making business that gained renown for famous clients such as artist Andy Warhol and Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. Nel died in 2011.
“The house, to me, was theirs,” said Tom, 74. “It was ours in terms of our home, but it was theirs and it was their furniture that Dad made and their silhouettes that Mom and Nel cut. An extremely creative family.”
Tom and Melissa moved back to Richmond to care for Helen just months before Nel died of complications of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. While they didn’t plan to stay, Tom said they plan to stay in Richmond after selling Cheswick and their residence next door: 8108 Three Chopt Road, also in family ownership.
While that comparably sized but newer house, built in 1942, is not actively listed, Ruth said they’re open to offers on Cheswick that include the adjacent property.
The interior features a center-hall floorplan.
Cheswick, built in 1796, totals 1,500 square feet with four bedrooms, three full bathrooms and two half-baths. The reconstructed English basement totals 1,100 square feet, and the house has three chimneys with eight fireplaces – elements that Tom said made the move more challenging when Cheswick was relocated in 1973.
Tom said his parents agreed to move and restore the house when they bought it from the Franklin family, who acquired the farm that was developed as Koger Office Center, now Forest Office Park. Several streets in the park are named after the Franklin farm, and the nearby Cheswick Park shares the house’s name.
The house was also used as a boarding school before the Civil War, according to the Henrico County Historical Society. While the local group recognizes the house as a historic site, Ruth said Cheswick is not listed on state or national registers and therefore does not benefit from protections or preservation tax credit eligibility.
Ruth said interest received thus far has focused on maintaining the house’s historical integrity, whether it’s used as a residence or converted to an office.
“A lot of people are looking at it saying they want to maintain the existing structure,” Ruth said. “I’ve had some people come in and say, ‘We want to move in, renovate it to current standards, without losing the historical aspect of it.’ I have had some commercial contacts come through to convert it to commercial uses that are office-related, because of the sign frontage along Three Chopt.”
The property includes a rear courtyard with brick walkways and outbuildings that can be used as storage space.
Next door, commercial interest in Forest Office Park has picked up in recent years.
In late 2016, a Florida-based real estate firm purchased five of the park’s 19 buildings for $24.1 million. This month, the same firm, Equitable Real Estate Partners, purchased two more buildings for $6.4 million.
The house at 8106 Three Chopt Road. Photos courtesy CVRMLS.
After nearly a half-century in the same family ownership, a relocated 18th-century house beside a Henrico County office park is on the market for its next caretaker.
Cheswick, a two-story Cape Cod-style colonial at 8106 Three Chopt Road, was listed for sale this month by descendants of Fred and Helen Laughon, who purchased the house and moved it about 5,000 yards from its original location when the adjacent Forest Office Park was developed in the 1970s.
Their son, Tom Laughon, who lives in a house next door, listed Cheswick with Scott Ruth of Shaheen, Ruth, Martin & Fonville Real Estate. Ruth attended Collegiate School with one of Tom’s daughters, who with their father are heirs to the property.
Ruth said the house, which was listed June 12 but not shown publicly until Wednesday, is being marketed for resale as a private residence but also could be rezoned for commercial use as an office.
The English basement.
The 1,500-square-foot house, on about a half-acre, is priced at $415,000. The latest county assessment valued the property at $292,100.
“We’ve had interested parties come in to see it that have a familiarity with historical properties from outside of the Richmond area,” Ruth said. “There is a group of buyers that like to follow historical properties, and that’s gained some interest as well.”
Tom Laughon, who owns local business consulting firm Catch Your Limit with wife Melissa, said he and his daughters, who both live in North Carolina, are ready to sell the house after the death of his mother Helen in January.
“Our hope is truly that someone will be able to take it and embrace it and give it the kind of care that my folks did,” he said.
Helen and Fred, who died in 2002, were known locally for their creative endeavors in silhouette-making and woodworking, respectively.
Fred, a Baptist minister, spent his retirement carving wooden dolls and miniature furniture for Colonial Williamsburg, while Helen and their daughter – Neville Elizabeth “Nel” Laughon – collaborated on a silhouette-making business that gained renown for famous clients such as artist Andy Warhol and Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. Nel died in 2011.
“The house, to me, was theirs,” said Tom, 74. “It was ours in terms of our home, but it was theirs and it was their furniture that Dad made and their silhouettes that Mom and Nel cut. An extremely creative family.”
Tom and Melissa moved back to Richmond to care for Helen just months before Nel died of complications of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. While they didn’t plan to stay, Tom said they plan to stay in Richmond after selling Cheswick and their residence next door: 8108 Three Chopt Road, also in family ownership.
While that comparably sized but newer house, built in 1942, is not actively listed, Ruth said they’re open to offers on Cheswick that include the adjacent property.
The interior features a center-hall floorplan.
Cheswick, built in 1796, totals 1,500 square feet with four bedrooms, three full bathrooms and two half-baths. The reconstructed English basement totals 1,100 square feet, and the house has three chimneys with eight fireplaces – elements that Tom said made the move more challenging when Cheswick was relocated in 1973.
Tom said his parents agreed to move and restore the house when they bought it from the Franklin family, who acquired the farm that was developed as Koger Office Center, now Forest Office Park. Several streets in the park are named after the Franklin farm, and the nearby Cheswick Park shares the house’s name.
The house was also used as a boarding school before the Civil War, according to the Henrico County Historical Society. While the local group recognizes the house as a historic site, Ruth said Cheswick is not listed on state or national registers and therefore does not benefit from protections or preservation tax credit eligibility.
Ruth said interest received thus far has focused on maintaining the house’s historical integrity, whether it’s used as a residence or converted to an office.
“A lot of people are looking at it saying they want to maintain the existing structure,” Ruth said. “I’ve had some people come in and say, ‘We want to move in, renovate it to current standards, without losing the historical aspect of it.’ I have had some commercial contacts come through to convert it to commercial uses that are office-related, because of the sign frontage along Three Chopt.”
The property includes a rear courtyard with brick walkways and outbuildings that can be used as storage space.
Next door, commercial interest in Forest Office Park has picked up in recent years.
In late 2016, a Florida-based real estate firm purchased five of the park’s 19 buildings for $24.1 million. This month, the same firm, Equitable Real Estate Partners, purchased two more buildings for $6.4 million.