Maymont

Maymont
Maymont Mansion was originally owned by James H. Dooley and his wife Sallie.
LocationEntrances at 2201 Shields Lake Drive, 1700 Hampton Street, Richmond, Virginia
Coordinates37°32′7″N 77°28′40″W / 37.53528°N 77.47778°W / 37.53528; -77.47778
Area100 acres (40 ha)
Created1925 (1925)
Operated byMaymont Foundation
Visitors527,153 (in 2013)
OpenYear-round
Websitehttp://www.maymont.org/
Maymont
Coordinates37°32′5″N 77°28′43″W / 37.53472°N 77.47861°W / 37.53472; -77.47861
Area100 acres (40.5 ha)
Built1890
ArchitectEdgerton S. Rogers
NRHP reference No.71001062
VLR No.127-0182
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 16, 1971
Designated VLRJuly 6, 1971

Maymont is a 100-acre (0.156 sq mi) Victorian estate and public park in Richmond, Virginia. It contains Maymont Mansion, now a historic house museum, an arboretum, an Italian and Japanese garden, a carriage collection, native wildlife exhibits, a nature center, and a petting zoo.

In 1893, James H. Dooley, a wealthy Richmond lawyer and philanthropist, and his wife, Sallie, completed their elaborate Gilded Age estate on a site high above the James River. According to their wishes, after their deaths Maymont was left to the people of Richmond. Over the next 75 years, additional attractions were added.