It’s Independence Day in the United States (also known as the Fourth of July), so today I’m sharing the story of one of America’s most beloved and historic hotels, The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. This hotel pays homage to one of America’s founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, who was a draftsman of the Declaration of Independence and the third U.S. president (1801-09).
Last fall, we traveled to Richmond to visit my husband’s alma mater (University of Richmond) and stayed at The Jefferson Hotel. The opulent hotel was designed by Carrère and Hastings, the same architecture firm that designed the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue, the Ponce de Leon Hotel (St. Augustine), Flagler’s Whitehall Mansion (Palm Beach), the House and Senate Office Buildings (Washington, D.C.) and many more 1. The hotel, which opened with much fanfare in 1895, contained 308 guest rooms, as well as thirty-four rooms reserved for employees. It soon became known as “The Belle of the ’90’s” 2.
According to the hotel, when it opened, it was enthusiastically proclaimed to be the finest hotel in the country. Since then, it has survived fire and been closed and reopened several times. It most recently was thoroughly renovated and re-opened in 2017.
Sculptor Edward V. Valentine created a life-size image of Jefferson from Carrara marble as a centerpiece for the upper lobby, The Palm Court. The statue cost $12,000 and took two years to complete. 2
The girls were fascinated by the telephones. It’s strange for them to understand that people did not have cell phones. All of the phones in the hotel worked, too!
According to the hotel’s website, during the hotel’s 2013-17 renovation, 262 guest rooms were quietly transformed into 181 spacious new rooms and suites, featuring entry foyers, dressing areas and luxurious new marbled baths. We can attest to this! Our hotel room was spacious and we had the most amazing, huge and luxurious bathroom! Of course, the girls loved the big tub.
This photo below is one of my favorite’s from the trip. You can see that our room has a very presidential feel! According to the hotel, no less than thirteen Presidents have stayed at the Jefferson, including Harrison, McKinley, Wilson, Coolidge, Taft, both Roosevelts (Theodore and Franklin Delano), Truman and Reagan, both Bushes, Clinton and Obama.
While we didn’t have any presidential business, we had some dessert business to dig into. After dinner in Richmond, we picked up some gigantic cake slices to go from Shyndigz. Yum!
There is an urban legend that The Jefferson Hotel’s grand staircase was the model for the famed staircase in Gone With the Wind. The staircase leads down to the palatial lobby where Sunday brunch and afternoon tea (Friday through Sunday) is served.
While the girls found the architecture and history of the hotel fascinating, they really enjoyed playing in the pool. The Jefferson’s pool area was clean with very warm pool water. The whole family took a dip!
Photo above courtesy of The Jefferson Hotel
If you walk around to the side of the hotel, there is a very large gray door framed by two tall bushes. We had a fun time coming up with some ideas as to where it might lead (and why it is so darn tall?)
This alligator statue in the front entrance pay homage to the alligators that once lived in the marble pools in the hotel’s Palm Court. No kidding!
We loved our stay at this beautiful, historic hotel. It was a great home base for all of our visits in and around Richmond (and Jefferson’s home, Monticello!). We can’t wait to return!
Note: We paid for our own room at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond and were not compensated in any way by the hotel.
Photo above courtesy of The Jefferson Hotel
1: Hotels News Resource
2: Jefferson Hotel