The Exchange Hotel, completed in 1841 in Richmond, Virginia was a Gothic revival four-story building designed by Isaiah Rogers. It was very popular before the Civil War.
The Ballard House opened up across the street in 1855. This five-story Italianate faced onto Franklin Street at the corner of Fourteenth Street. [1] Both establishments were owned by John P. Ballard (1816 - 1878). [2] They were connected at the second level first by a footbridge made of steel, and some years later enclosed in brick. Their old architecture prevented them from being one of the premiere Richmond hotels at the time. [3]
U.S. President John Tyler died at the Exchange Hotel in 1862. [4] His widow, Julia, died there also, 27 years later. [5]
It was demolished from 1900-1901, shortly after closing thanks to competition from the newer Jefferson Hotel. [6]
Sherwood Forest Plantation Foundation is located on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County, Virginia. The main plantation house, built in 1730, was the home of the tenth president of the United States, John Tyler (1790–1862) for the last twenty years of his life. It is located on State Route 5, a scenic byway which runs between the independent cities of Richmond and Williamsburg. The house is located approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the river. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961.
Julia Gardiner Tyler was the first lady of the United States from June 26, 1844, to March 4, 1845, as the second wife of President John Tyler. A member of the influential Gardiner family, she had many notable figures as suitors. She met the recently widowed President Tyler in 1842, and she agreed to marry him after he comforted her in the aftermath of her father's death. They married in secret, and she became first lady immediately upon their marriage, serving in the role for the final eight months of his presidency.
William Ballard Preston was an American politician who served as a Confederate States Senator from Virginia from February 18, 1862, until his death in November. He previously served as the 19th United States Secretary of the Navy from 1849 to 1850. He is also the cousin of William Campbell Preston and William Preston.
Claude Augustus Swanson was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Virginia. He served as U.S. Representative (1893–1906), Governor of Virginia (1906–1910), and U.S. Senator from Virginia (1910–1933), before becoming U.S. Secretary of the Navy under President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 until his death. Swanson and fellow U.S. Senator Thomas Staples Martin led a Democratic political machine in Virginia for decades in the late 19th and early 20th century, which later became known as the Byrd Organization for Swanson's successor as U.S. Senator, Harry Flood Byrd.
Hollywood Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 412 South Cherry Street in the Oregon Hill neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia. It was established in 1847 and designed by the landscape architect John Notman. It is 135-acres in size and overlooks the James River. It is one of three places in the United States that contains the burials of two U.S. Presidents, the others being Arlington National Cemetery and United First Parish Church.
Douglas Southall Freeman was an American historian, biographer, newspaper editor, radio commentator, and author. He is best known for his multi-volume biographies of Robert E. Lee and George Washington, for both of which he was awarded Pulitzer Prizes.
Isaiah Rogers was an American architect from Massachusetts who eventually moved his practice south, where he was based in Louisville, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio. He completed numerous designs for hotels, courthouses and other major buildings in Boston, Massachusetts, and New York City, before that relocation.
David Gardiner Tyler was an American politician and the ninth child and fourth son of John Tyler, the tenth president of the United States.
Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. was an American educator, genealogist, and historian. He was a son of John Tyler, the tenth president of the United States. Tyler was the 17th president of the College of William & Mary, an advocate of historical research and preservation, and a prominent critic of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
Thomas Ritchie of Virginia was a leading American newspaper journalist, editor and publisher.
Augustin Smith Clayton was a jurist and politician from the American state of Georgia.
The Wickham House, also known as the Wickham-Valentine House, is a historic house museum on East Clay Street in Richmond, Virginia. Completed in 1812, it is considered one of the finest examples of architecture from the Federal period. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971.
David Gardiner was an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of New York State Senate from 1824 to 1828. He was the father of Julia Gardiner Tyler, second wife of U.S. President John Tyler. He died in an explosion aboard the USS Princeton.
The Franklin and Armfield Office, which houses the Freedom House Museum, is a historic commercial building in Alexandria, Virginia. Built c. 1810–1820, it was first used as a private residence before being converted to the offices of the largest slave trading firm in the United States, started in 1828 by Isaac Franklin and John Armfield. Another source, using ship manifests in the National Archives, gives the number as "at least 5,000".
John Tyler was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig ticket with President William Henry Harrison, succeeding to the presidency following Harrison's death 31 days after assuming office. Tyler was a stalwart supporter and advocate of states' rights, including regarding slavery, and he adopted nationalistic policies as president only when they did not infringe on the states' powers. His unexpected rise to the presidency posed a threat to the presidential ambitions of Henry Clay and other Whig politicians and left Tyler estranged from both of the nation's major political parties at the time.
James Lyons was a nineteenth century American politician from Virginia who also served in the Confederate Congress.
Ginter House is the historic former residence of Lewis Ginter in Richmond, Virginia. Built in 1892, it is owned by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and is home to the provost's office. It was used as Richmond's first public library from 1925 until 1930, was used as part of a school, and was the main administrative building on the Monroe Park, Virginia campus of VCU for more than 40 years. In September 2020, the University’s Board of Visitors voted to de-commemorate several buildings on campus named for members of the Confederacy including the Lewis Ginter house. The house is now simply known as the "VCU Administration Building".
Marcellus Eugene Wright Sr. was an American architect. He was active in Richmond, Virginia and the surrounding region during the first half of the 20th century. In addition to his work on hotels, Wright was a pioneer of the Moorish Revival architectural style in his design for the Altria Theater, which is a major component of the Monroe Park Historic District.
Harrison Ruffin Tyler is a retired American chemical engineer, businessman, and preservationist who cofounded ChemTreat, Inc., a water treatment company. A grandson of the 10th U.S. President John Tyler, he has played a role in preserving historical sites such as Sherwood Forest Plantation and Fort Pocahontas, while also donating historical materials to the College of William & Mary.