Built in 1927 to a design by Alfredo S.G. Taylor, it is a finely detailed example of Adamesque Federal Revival architecture.

The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for its association with the architect.

[1] The Rockwell House stands in a residential area northeast of Norfolk's central village, on the southwest side of Laurel Way just east of its junction with Maple Avenue.

Its main block is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, oriented facing south, five bays wide, with a slate roof.

[3] It is one of the most academically correct of his Norfolk designs, although it exhibits a number of characteristic flourishes, including the use of elliptical arches.