Constructed shortly after Jefferson's death, this house reflects the influence of his architecture and in particular the pavilions at the University of Virginia. The probable designer and builder had done substantial work at the Lawn and was a master brickmason. The form of the house is really an enlarged pavilion from the university, though with one-story Tuscan porticoes in keeping with its domestic scale. The original owner, John A. B. Davis, a professor of law at the university, was murdered by a student in 1840. The incident contributed to the introduction of the university's famed honor code. After years of neglect and abandonment the house was purchased and restored by (Michael) Bednar and (Elizabeth) Lawson Architects.