Form 10-300 UNiTLll STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR iJul* 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM
ENTRY NUMBER DATC (Typo all enfries - complete applicable sections)
~ .- ---EIAYMONT AND. OC HISTORIC: E1AY - .-- . - .- -. -..MONT.
STREET AN,:, NLI~IIRER~ Ha9ton Street or Spottswood Road ClTI OR TOWN:
C *.> L, E (in cit.) 760
Public Acquksiti~n: ZJ Occupied In Process Q Unoccupisd Ci Object I17 Both 0 Being Considered 0 Prsssrrotion ~ork in progrs..
2 Agrlrvlturul 11 ;i Govsrnmant Ej Pork Tronsportotion Comments !i .. Commmrclo; :! Industrial Privots R.sidence ;.~1 0Other (SP~CI~J i + 1 [~-1 Eduro~ion~l i-1 Mititory Religious 1 i) E-~~~IO;,,~,.~~rid Museum Scientific i - -.-- ! -. - I
(:XI% o Kiclimond, Department of Recreation and Parks
/ ~ W r- -~ - ~. -- lSTLIi, INI. NUMBER: ., W '1'1, >Io;.rii!c, Laurel Street !-
STATE: VIRGINIA - -- City Hall - -- STREET AN ,:$! : .) !li.otoric Iandmrks C~nmission-. Survey DIT~ i.1 ;LJ>, .,) *. 1971 0 Fader01 Stota 0 County 0 Local DEPDrl iR> i iH SUPVEI RECORDS: l.i.: is Historir Landmarks Commission- csrnrt ni,rz~~s;~: 9t1, S;Lrc!et State Office Buildine. Room 1116 1CITY 01< rOVi'i STATE: Richrnnil~, 1 . ..- Virginia Sicx. f,.oN.- ~ ~ . .. .~~ - - ~ --.-----.-.-....u-.,. - I (Check One) I C1 Exc.ll*nt Good 0 F.8, [IJ Ostsrior-ted 0 Rvnns 13 Unexposed (Check on~) (Check on.,, 0 Altered 1% Una11~r.d Cl Moved Onglnol Sate DESCRlQE THE PRESENT AND ORlGlNIL (11 known) WHISICAL APPEIRANCE MAYMON T The eclectic mansion at Maymont, designed in 1890 by Edgerton S. Kogers, is a three-story structure of broken course sandstone. Its narrow straight windows with stained-glass "eyebrows," its tall, simple chimneys, and roof gables are reminiscent of the chateau style. The ro~ighstone, the use of circular and polygonal corner towers, "eyebrow" dormers, bowed seclions, and the one-story porch on the western facade are Romancsque in fccling, as is the overall massiveness and strength of the structure. A sqiiarc, corhelcd tower at one corner adds a medieval touch. On the soutllcrn entrance facade, there is a porte-cochere leading to a Eront hall lighted by a large stained-glass window which can be seen above and behind tl~r: porl L -cochere. The roof of grey slate is a combination of hipped and galr vpcs. I t irst floor of the interior of the house contains a spaciolis cni. I-i~iicr 11311 , dining room and adjacent. butler's pantry, a salon, and otiicr smal 1t.r rccc,ption rooms. Opposite the front door, there is a cliimnrypirce d~~.~,r:llt,(tin a Frcnch Rcnnaissance rnannclr wi.th dark-stained woodcn panels airil c.;~ry:ilids. The exposed struct~imlceiling and the st aircase eont inue t~l~u.... lni<. pcriod feeling. The salon beyond thc hall is i1~:coratedwith i 1 furnitz~rr?and painted flowcr-tracery on the walls and ceiling. An adjoining parlour is Louis XV in decor and includes two Gohelins tapes- tries. All of the first floor rooms are filled with copies of paintings by E~rropcnnmasters, glass front cabinets containing small boxes, sculp- tures, and plates brought from Europe by the Dooleys, and vases, mirrors, and larger scu1,ptures from around the world. I llle hasemcnt floor of Maymont hiuised the servants quarters, a kitchen, and a wine cellar. The sccond and third floors wcre for bedrooms. thc most famous of which is the Swan bedroom. This contains two swan- shaprd hcds made for Mrs. ~oole~'sroom in their summer home, Swannanoa. Outbuildings included in the original estate were the stable and carri ~gt.Ilorlse. The stable continues the rough stone strength and mass- iverl~.ssi)f the main house. The diamond-shaped glass panes in its windows and *'.>rrnc>rsgive a feeling of Jacobean Ilngland. Thc stable has a central cobl~lusione courtyard and a roof of medium-hip and gable types. The corri.1ge house is a half brick-half stone construction with a gabled hip 1 roof containing a large dormer on one side. i I Also on thc property is a manager's cottage with an octagonal tower.' Tl~eextt:iisive use of shingles in the upper stories of the Irwin part of the i hozisi, and the tower make this outhrlilding reminiscent of the shingle style popularized by the architect H. H. Richardson. M:i jor and Mrs. Dooley are buried at Maymont in a small, stone, Greek temple-s~vletomb with a pedimented distyle-in-antis Doric portico. .,~eJames River borders Maymint on the soutiiern side. The one hundred .,ere grounds contain an Italian parterre garden, complete with a columne~pergola and an elaborate cascade surroundco by a serpentine 1..Rl!nn-s rs.llic~eessta__i.t_ct_casae.A£. fs_t.~n.ee. - Form 10.3000 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRYNUMBER (Continuation Sheet) A natural waterfall parallels the staircase, then falls into a Japanese garden below. This garden is composed of waterways, arched stone bridges, Japanese plants and trees, and a pagoda. Elsewhere about the property are little sununer houses for the taking of the view. -- ~ .- vrnlon (check Onr or ~orea. Approprlalo) 1-1 Pre-Columbi~n: CI 161h Century [.-I l81h Centurv CrJ 20th Century rl 15th Csntucy 17 17th Cmwy K/ l9lh Century - .~ .- SPEC~FIC DATE~~~(11 A~PIIC.~I. and K~o,v~) House hui-lt 1890 &REAS OF SIGNIF~CANCL fCh*ck On- or More a. Appropriate) Abor ipinal 0 Educofion Politico1 U Urbon Plonninp El Prshistoric Enpinssrlnp O Rslipion/Phi. 0 Other IS~oclrv) 0 Hisloric Indusfry losophy T_i Agricultun Invention rJ Science I;Y Architectur. a Lond.cop. & ScuIptu,e a Art A*chit.ctu,. 0 s~~~~I/H~~.~- U Commsrc. 0 Lit.ratur. it.,,ia" [jcommuni~~tien~ n Militory 0 Theater Conrarvation U Music L2 Tron~~ortation - - STATEMENT OF LIlONlFlCINCE MAY~- MON -T The mansion at Maymont was built in 1890 hy Major James 11. Dooley, wi,nl tliy industrialist and mcmbcr of the Virginia Housc? of Dclcgat:i James H. Dooley was born in 1841, the son of a wealthy hat manufacturdr. tic graduated from Georgetown University, though his education was inter- r11pt1.d by the War Between the States, in which he served with distinction. l:i 1869, he married Sallie May, later authoress of ----,Dcm (;ood Old Times a i;~)s~:~lgicrecollection of life in the old South. She was a lover of plants and flowers of all kinds and when the couple travelled extensively in Europe, brought back rare plants and shrubs to develop the gardens at Moy~nont and works of art for the embellishment of the thirty-eight rooin Aftcr the death of Major Dooley in 1922 and Mrs. Dooley in 1925, the lioilsc and grounds at Maymont were willed to the city of Ricl~mond for use by t:lilislicd in one section of the park, and a nature center has hecn opencd in clic fornicr carriage house. The on', hundred acres of gardens, open to the piihlic during all seasons of the year, form a valuable natural resource in llie center of the city. The grounds are maintained by the Department of Recrcat ion and Parks. At the Dooleys' death, the every day furniture was given to family mt!inhc,rs. ?~einterior is thus furnished with rarer and more vnluablc pc,riorl pieces, some of wliich wcrc brought from the Doolcy's siirnmnr home S\,ran,i;lnoa in the Blue Ridge Morintains. At present, the housc is under- :, ~~ ~ 10. GEOGRAPHICAL~~ DATA ~ ~ .. - .. .. OF LESS THAN TFN ACRES LATlTUDE LONClTUDC 37" 32 37" 32 28 ' 25 " 37" 31 50" 28 ' 25 " 50. o 29 . 00. *PPAOXIMATE ACREAGE OFNOMINATED PROPERTY: 100 acres -- . ..- COD,: I STATE. .- -...... - .. - -~- . 1 i I C11cc.k I " ORGANIZATION DATE - Virsi~~i;~~ liistoric Landmarks~ Commissior~___ 1 June 24, 1971. CSTHEFT &NO NiiMBCR 0 Office Building ~--, ~-~ - z STATE CODt m RICIIPIONI) VIRGINIA 51 I NATIONAL REGISTER VERIFICATION As the ilcsli,.nated Stiltc I.~nison Officer for the Ntl- I hereby certify that this property is included in the l!on;rl if8:;torlc Prcservetion Act of 1966 (Public 1.aw National Register. 89-til.5). I Ih~rrl,ynnminwlc this property for inclusion in lh+- Netionel Rcxister and certify that it has been rvaluatcd srr-ord~ngto the criteria and procedures set forth hy the. National Perk Service. The recommended Chief. Office of Atcheology and Historic Preservation level of significance of this nomination is: National iL:) State a Local O Date ATTEST: ST. Edward P. Alexander, Chairma V. Sistoric Landmarks Commission T,tie