A glimpse into the Gilded Age — The Swannanoa Palace, undergoing renovations, opens its doors for visitors

Swannanoa Palace greets visitors with tons of Italian marble and one of the largest Tiffany stained-glass windows in the world.  Through its heavy, coffered doors and into the grand foyer, the palace, nestled in Afton, Virginia, stands semi-restored to its original state.

On Halloween, Swannanoa will host their annual Halloween Spooktacular from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the palace, which is open to the public, charging general admission of $8 for adults and free for children. According to the mansion’s marketing director Adrianne Boyer, over a thousand were in attendance at last year’s event. 

Visitors experience the beauty of the Gilded Age in a radically different way than other mansions like the Biltmore or the Vanderbilts’ Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island. The Italianate architecture and the palatial interiors impress visitors, but the property’s history is more complicated.

Author Victoria Airisun Wonderli walks visitors through a brief history of the Dooley family on tours. She fell in love with the property shortly after meeting its owner in 1985. Since then she has dedicated her studies to uncovering all of the hidden gems contained within the mansion.

“It’s hard to cover everything,” Wonderli said. “There’s more and more to uncover and this is what continues to fascinate me. … Each year, I uncover a little bit more and fit the puzzle pieces together.” 

The mansion was first conceived by James Henry Dooley, heir of the Dooley estate. At the time, he was arguably the most powerful person in Richmond, Virginia, throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s. Richmond faired relatively well after the Civil War and because of this, the Dooley family’s estate grew enough that they were able to build Maymont, their primary residence by the James River, in 1893. Decades later, when Dooley and his wife Sallie Mae Dooley were 73 and 65 respectively, they created the plans for a summer estate.

“If you can imagine taking on something this large to be built later on in your life,” Wonderli said, “it not only served as a summer cottage, but it was also going to be a semi-retirement home for both of them.”

Hundreds of tons of Italian marble and the largest Tiffany stained-glass window in a private home in America ensured an arduous construction process, but finally in 1912, Swannanoa Palace was finished. After serving as the Dooleys’ summer estate for a handful of years, it briefly became a country club where President Calvin Coolidge, the mansion’s most famous guest, made a visit. 

Today, the marble and Tiffany glass still awe visitors, which is surprising considering the ordeals the mansion went through when both James Dooley and Sallie Mae Dooley died right before the Great Depression. With the economy tanking and the upper classes scaling back their extravagance, abandoned symbols of decadence were frequently looted, and Swannanoa Palace was no exception.

The results of the neglect can still be seen throughout the mansion. Sconces ripped from the walls, stolen furniture and invasive plant species blanketing the ground reveal the former glory of the mansion and its subsequent dilapidation. Renovations are moving forward in small bursts, largely with the help of donations and admission fees from visitors, but the in-between stage the mansion currently occupies makes for a one-of-a-kind sight.

The scenic hour-long drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains to Afton, Virginia, alone is well worth the trip to Swannanoa. Once there, visitors can walk the mansion and surrounding property for $8, or take a guided tour for $10.

Unlike other prestigious houses like the Biltmore, Swannanoa provides a unique glimpse into the past for an affordable price. People who visit can walk at their own pace through the palace. 

As it stands just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, college students in the area can experience first-hand the historical architecture Swannanoa has to offer.