Maymont

Maymont
Maymont Mansion was originally owned by Maj. James H. Dooley and his wife Sallie.
Location	Entrances at 2201 Shields Lake Drive, 1700 Hampton Street, Richmond, Virginia
Coordinates	Coordinates: 37°32′7″N 77°28′40″W / 37.53528°N 77.47778°W / 37.53528; -77.47778
Area	100 acres (40 ha)
Created	1925 (1925)
Operated by	Maymont Foundation
Visitors	527,153 (in 2013)
Open	Year-round
Website	http://www.maymont.org/
Maymont
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Virginia Landmarks Register
Coordinates	37°32′5″N 77°28′43″W / 37.53472°N 77.47861°W / 37.53472; -77.47861
Area	100 acres (40.5 ha)
Built	1890
Architect	Edgerton S. Rogers
NRHP Reference #	71001062
VLR #	127-0182
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	December 16, 1971
Designated VLR	July 6, 1971

Maymont is a 100-acre (0.156 m²) Victorian estate and public park in Richmond, Virginia. It contains Maymont Mansion, now a historic house museum, an arboretum, formal gardens, a carriage collection, native wildlife exhibits, a nature center, and Children's Farm.

In 1893, Major 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.

Maymont was named for Major Dooley's wife, Sallie May. Construction began in 1890, with the mansion completed in 1893.

The Dooleys also built a summer home on Afton Mountain, Swannanoa, which was completed in 1913.

In 2011, Maymont was named one of the top 10 public spaces by the American Planning Association.

The Japanese Garden at Maymont is well tended and features a koi pond and a large waterfall. The Japanese Garden also has a torii arch, rock gardens, and various red maples. It is a blend of two different time periods and a mixture of many styles of gardens. In 1911, a section of the Kanawha Canal was bought to be a part of the garden. Some say they hired a master Japanese gardener by the name of Muto, who had designed other gardens along the East Coast.

Years following Mrs. Dooley's passing, the Japanese garden increasingly lost its magnificence and design. Fortunately, the garden still has its stonework and winding watercourse that leads to its large pond. After realizing the decline of the quality of the garden, Earth Design, Inc renovated it in 1978. The new design of the Japanese is considered a "stroll garden" which offers guests at Maymont to see how the changing impact of nature has on the grounds.