1206 Colony Road

This next house is a striking example of 21st century modern residential architecture. In 2009 it was the new home of Dr. Jacques Riviere and his wife Valerie.  They commissioned local architect, James McGhee and it was built by John Rogers General Construction. It’s a brick dwelling three bays wide, one story tall, with an asphalt shingle covered hipped roof.  With the Rivieres’ love of modern, McGhee deftly delivers with a one-of-a-kind custom-designed home with an emphasis on a masterful play of forms and materials. Our focus is drawn to the semi-circular central projecting front entry porch which contrasts significantly with the rectilinear lines of the rest of the house.  Smooth stucco finishes on different planes are juxtaposed with more familiar stretcher brick bond walls. The interior floorplan is completely accessible as there are no steps, sills, thresholds, truly one-level living. A large tree that had survived from the previous century on the south side of the driveway has been replaced with a young sapling. The current owners have lived here since 2017.

The modern house at 1206 Colony Road is the second dwelling to occupy this site. The first dwelling was built in 1956. By 2009, the original structure had been removed and the current modern home was constructed. Colony Road is a tribute to Virginia being the “First Colony” based upon the 1606 charter.

Select Citation:  Edward Alvey, The Streets of Fredericksburg. Mary Washington College Foundation, Inc. (Fredericksburg, Virginia) 1978, p. 64.