The eclectic tastes of the late Victorian era in architecture, interior decoration, art collecting, and gardening are lavishly displayed at Maymont, the suburban estate created by Richmond philanthropist Maj. James H. Dooley and his wife, Sallie May. The combination Romanesque- and Chateauesque-style stone mansion overlooks the north bank of the James River in the city of Richmond, and was designed by Edgerton S. Rogers and completed in 1893. Contrasting with its somber exterior is a glittering interior where each room has its own stylistic character. The Dooleys filled the house with a singular collection of artistic objects gathered on world travels. They also developed the estate’s 100 acres into a series of gardens, including an English-style park, an Italian terraced garden with fountains, a Japanese garden, and a grotto. At Mrs. Dooley’s death in 1925, the estate became a city-owned museum and park. Since 1975, custodianship for this monument of the Gilded Age has been entrusted to the Maymont Foundation.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia