Oliver farmhouse on Gallows Road for sale for $1.65 million

The old Oliver farmhouse, on 4011 Gallows Rd., is on the market for $1.65 million, which raises the possibility the house could be torn down and replaced with infill development. The sales listing on the online site Home Finder says the property offers an “opportunity for up to four million dollar-plus homes.”

The 1.54-acre property is zoned R-3, which allows three houses per acre. The wood-frame house has four bedrooms, two full bathrooms, one half-bath, and several porches. Although it’s on busy Gallows Road, large trees provide some privacy. Originally built in 1932, the house has been added to and renovated, but the listing says it needs updating.

The house was built by Robert Stringfellow Oliver, who had purchased 89 acres in Annandale in 1926 and operated a dairy farm there, according to the website, “A Look Back at Braddock District.” That land is now the Broyhill Crest community.

That website recounts the story of how Oliver moved to the house on Christmas Eve, 1931, along with his wife, Charlene Byrd Oliver, their seven children, and 24 cattle from their farm in Shirlington. It says, “The cattle drive and move were so well planned that Mrs. Oliver was able to entertain as usual on the very next day, Christmas.” Robert Oliver had been a streetcar driver in Washington, D.C., before becoming a farmer. In addition to dairy cows, the family had pigs, chickens, work horses, and a vegetable garden on their Annandale farm.

This photo of the Oliver farm is from the "A Look Back at Braddock History" website. The original photo was provided by Gladys Oliver McElwee.