A portion of that land was what he called "Long Meadow", an 814-acre (329 ha) estate upon which, by 1820, he built the two-story, single-pile house in the Federal style that came to be known as Villa Heights.

It also built some additions to the property, including a cinderblock recreation area, an ADA-compliant bathroom in the rear, and two exterior restrooms.

[4] The City of Roanoke ceased operations in the building in 2007, and the property was vacant in 2011 when a fire broke out and caused severe damage to the roof.

[3][5] The city, which had been attempting to sell the house, was reluctant to pay what was anticipated to be thousands of dollars more than its insurance coverage to properly rehabilitate the property.

[9] The building reopened in 2019, having won an award for its rehabilitation from a local preservation society, and, in 2023, housed a church and assorted non-profit organizations.