The recent passing of James F. “Phil” Dulaney, the third generation of a family important in the Charlottesville area’s post-World War II growth, has spurred speculation about the future of several properties. Some of the family’s holdings, like the Charlottesville Oil site on Ivy Road and the derelict Afton Inn and Howard Johnson’s at Rockfish Gap, have been considered “blighted” for years. But one of the largest—the Swannanoa estate atop Afton Mountain—has always been a place of romance and fascination.
No one knows this better than Sandi Dulaney, Phil’s widow, who has been running Swannanoa since 2015. Dulaney, one of the few people who can say they have lived at Swannanoa, refers to the house as “she”—perhaps from the spirit of Sallie Dooley, for whom it was built, and whose portrait is featured in the 10-foot-tall stained glass Tiffany window that presides over the foyer’s grand staircase.
In 1912, Richmond businessman, millionaire, and philanthropist James H. Dooley built Swannanoa as a summer home for himself and his wife Sarah “Sallie” May. (He also had Maymont, their Richmond mansion which is now a museum and public park, built for her.) Their “summer retreat” is Italian Renaissance Revival in style, clad in marble from Georgia and lavishly decorated inside with Italian marble, ornate plasterwork, pastel frescoes, and inlaid wood. At about 23,000 square feet, the house is twice the size of Monticello.
For its time, Swannanoa featured all the modern conveniences—indoor plumbing, central heating, electricity (supplied by its own power plant, since it was the first house in Nelson County to have electricity). With an elevator, a dumbwaiter, parquet floors, extensive gardens, two corner towers with spectacular views over both sides of the Blue Ridge, the mansion exemplifies a grander age, a time when (paraphrasing F. Scott Fitzgerald) the very rich were different from you and me.
After the Dooleys died in the 1920s, the house passed to his sisters. A Richmond real estate consortium’s attempt to develop the estate unfortunately coincided with the 1929 stock market crash. When development plans fell apart, the mansion sat empty for 12 years until Skyline Swannanoa, a group of investors led by A. T. Dulaney, bought it in 1944. (The U.S. Navy considered buying and renovating Swannanoa as a secret wartime interrogation center, but decided Congress would hesitate to purchase a marble mansion for that purpose.) In 1948, the property was leased for 50 years to artist and mystic Walter Russell, whose University of Science and Philosophy, constructed around his personal cosmology, was headquartered there until 1998.
Time has taken its toll. The trees around Swannanoa have grown up, blocking much of the famed views. After the Russells’ lease expired, Phil Dulaney spent $3 million to replace the terracotta tile roof, clean and repoint significant areas of the marble façade, do extensive work on the interior, and replace the antiquated gutter system. But such a lavish house requires a lavish maintenance budget, and years of vandalism, curious intruders, and paranormal fans breaking in to search for “spirits” have done as much damage as time.
Dreams, however, die hard. Sandi Dulaney says her husband always wanted to open a bed-and-breakfast, but while the house’s lovely main floor is in decent shape, the upstairs rooms need extensive work. Seeking grant money or donating the property to a preservation organization, Dulaney says, would mean “losing control. The family wants to keep this place. I’m a steward here.”
Her plans are to allow access to Swannanoa in ways that enable the public to enjoy its beauty while still protecting the property. Currently, public guided tours are offered the second Sunday and fourth Saturday of every month (reservations required). Private tours can also be arranged, and the site is popular for photo shoots and micro weddings.
The house and gardens can also be rented for private events. A recent fundraiser for the Shelter for Help in Emergency, sponsored by Autumn Trails Veterinary Center, recalled the house’s early days by having “The Howling ‘20s” as its theme; Dulaney’s toy poodle mix Lady Grace served as greeter. Dulaney and Adrianne Boyer, Swannanoa’s marketing and events director, have also developed a regular program of events, from Zen@Swannanoa Mindfulness Workshops to the Halloween Spooktacular, Christmas with Santa for children (and dogs), and an Easter Eggs-travaganza. “We’re trying to introduce this place to a new generation,” says Boyer.
Interest in Swannanoa has grown in the last few years as the house has become more accessible, Boyer says. “Our staff is growing, we have more volunteers helping out—it’s really a labor of love.” The current plan is to have tours and events generate income to cover maintenance, taxes, and salaries while possibilities for implementing the much-needed complete overhaul (several years and $50-60 million, according to Boyer) are considered.
“I tell people that she’s 111 years old, and isn’t going to get any younger,” says Boyer.
