Historic Dooley mansion at Maymont welcomes visitors after 2-year renovation

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The home belonging to the former Dooley family at Maymont reopened on Saturday, March 21 after two years of renovations, kicking off a series of events for Maymont's 100th anniversary as a public park.

Between fundraising and grants, Maymont spent about $6 million to put in a new roof, install new flooring and add 21st-century amenities such as audio and touchscreen tools to educate visitors about James and Sallie Dooley, who lived at Maymont between the 1890s and the 1920s.

The City of Richmond inherited the Dooleys' estate and 100 acres to use as a public park after they died in 1922 and 1925, respectively.

More than a thousand people walked through the home to see the Dooleys family's authentic furnishings for the first time in two years on Saturday.

"It is a wonderful thing. I would say in two years I definitely would say a labor of love, very fraught construction work going on," said Kathy Garrett-Cox, Maymont's Chief Curator and Director of Historic Resources and Engagement. "The entire 5,000-piece collection inside the mansion was moved offsite for the past two years."

Additionally, another roughly $6 million went toward a different renovation project at Maymont's Virginia Wildlife Trail, which is set to reopen on May 2.

There is a big 100th birthday party for the estate's public park status scheduled for June 6.