Swannanoa Palace: The palace built by a man for love
In the early 20th century, a super-rich American spared no expense or effort to show his wife his love. / Swannanoa Palace
The Swannanoa Palace in the US state of Virginia is still an impressive testament to his feelings.
Anyone visiting the area around the small town of Afton, Virginia, could expect an unusual sight. A swanky Italian Renaissance-style palace and arguably one of the most impressive mansions in the United States. The Swannanoa Palace is above all a testament to the love between two people who lived here at the beginning of the 20th century.
Ancient model
It’s 1912 when super-rich railroad tycoon James H. Dooley commissions a private mansion unlike anything the country has seen before. As the official tourism website of the state of Virginia reports, he thinks big. His Swannanoa Palace, as the property was later named, is said to be modeled on the villa of one of the most legendary families of all time: namely the villa of the Medici family in Rome. In fact, the two buildings bear a striking resemblance.
Swannanoa Palace – a house for love
Dooley’s motives are highly romantic: he dedicated the building to his wife and great love Sarah O. May, known as Sally. He spared no expense or effort for his Swannanoa Palace, the stone testimony of his feelings. For the then insane sum of two million US dollars, he had a palace with a total of 52 rooms built on an area of a good 400 hectares, all made of the finest marble. It took more than 300 workers eight years to complete Dooley’s vision, according to the Nelson County site where Afton is located.
And even if the lovers cannot enjoy their happiness for long, it is still visible in the house for eternity. A huge stained glass window features a larger-than-life likeness of Sally, as does a painting of her on the domed ceiling of Swannanoa Palace. For all its splurge, the modern Medici mansion is just the second home of the couple, who own another, much larger property in Richmond, Virginia.
Short luck
However, Dooley himself died just two years after the completion of Swannanoa Palace in 1922. His wife Sally followed him only four years later. According to “Atlas Obscura”, the mansion initially fell into disrepair until new, no less illustrious owners were found for it. The couple Walter and Lao Russel bought the palace and set up a university for science and philosophy there.
Lao Russel lived in Swannanoa Palace until 1988, 25 years after the death of her husband, until she died herself. Once again the house fell into disrepair. But the current owner tried to restore the property to its former glory. Today it is also specially protected as a historical landmark. Tours can be booked through the Nelson County Visitor Center and the villa is also open to the general public on certain weekends.
And even today, a good 100 years later, the love between its former owners lives on in the Swannanoa Palace. Because you can also get married on the gigantic property, a particularly popular attraction. You can book, for example, via the “Skyline Swannanoa” website. So it’s no wonder that the place is now one of the biggest tourist attractions in Virginia. “What a fantastic place,” writes a user on the Tripadvisor portal. A second added: “While the palace may be past its prime, it is beautiful and well worth a visit.”
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