2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 213
Commending Maymont.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 9, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, March 11, 2026
WHEREAS, Maymont, a treasured 100-acre estate in the heart of Richmond that connects people with nature, history, wildlife, and each other, celebrates its 100th anniversary as a public space in 2026; and
WHEREAS, from 1893 to 1925, Maymont was the home of James and Sallie Dooley, who built a 33-room mansion designed by architect Edgerton Rodgers in a style that combined Romanesque Revival with Queen Anne elements and commissioned landscape architects to design a Japanese Garden, an Italian Garden, and a classic Olmsted-inspired landscape filled with native and exotic trees; and
WHEREAS, upon their deaths, the Dooleys bequeathed Maymont to the City of Richmond to be used as a park and museum for the benefit of the people; the grounds were opened as a city park on January 1, 1926, and the mansion opened as a museum in March of that year; and
WHEREAS, more than 55,000 people visited the mansion at Maymont in its first year, and many more enjoyed the estate's vast grounds and gardens; and
WHEREAS, recognizing Maymont's potential as a destination for visitors of all ages, several endeavors were advanced to enhance the site's facilities and exhibits in its first few decades of operation, including comfort stations built by the Works Progress Administration, the Thalhimer Wildlife Exhibit, and a nature center and farm; and