Montgomery-Janes-Whittaker House, plantation house in Autauga County, Alabama, US
The Montgomery-Janes-Whittaker House, known as Buena Vista, is a 2+1⁄2-story Federal style frame house south of Prattville. Fanlights sit over the front doors and in the side gable ends. Inside are elaborate plasterwork and a spiral mahogany staircase rising from the ground floor to the third-floor attic. A monumental Ionic portico was added to the front facade during the Colonial Revival period.
Construction began around 1822 and was completed by 1844, with successive families making alterations and improvements over time. In the early 1900s new owners added a colonial-style portico, and in 1974 the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The house is named for the Montgomery, Janes and Whittaker families, its successive owners; the Whittakers restored it and added modern amenities from 1937. Since 2007 it has belonged to the Autauga County Heritage Association, which runs it as a historic house museum. The name Buena Vista is also used for the property.
The property sits on about four acres of land with trees and open space in Autauga County south of Prattville. Visitors can walk through the grounds and examine closely the porch details, interior plasterwork, and staircase craftsmanship.
The classical columns at the front entrance were added in a later period when there was fashion for making older homes look like ancient Greek and Roman buildings. This shows how owners tried to keep the house fashionable and give it a more refined appearance.
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