As originally built for Samuel Taylor in 1845, this Greek Revival mansion was a three-part composition consisting of a temple-form center section with one-story wings. In 1883 the house was purchased by Richmond tobacconist Peter H. Mayo, who spared no expense in remodeling the interior in the latest, most opulent taste. Mayo collected the finest cabinet woods and had them fashioned by artisans into door and window cases, stairs, mantels, and parquet floors, all in a Renaissance flavor. He also added second stories to the wings. The elaborate interior decorations were largely covered over during various modernizations after the Mayo family donated the house to the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia in 1923. Much of the Taylor-Mayo House interior’s rich 1880s character was restored during a 1982 renovation. The house continues as a diocesan headquarters.