COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG’S SIGNIFICANT BUILDINGS
The Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg comprises 301 acres, which include 88 original
18th-century and early 19th-century structures and hundreds of houses, shops, public buildings and
outbuildings that have been reconstructed on their original foundations.
Chartered in 1699, Williamsburg was named in honor of William III, King of England. It is
one of the country’s oldest planned cities and was designed by Gov. Francis Nicholson. The main
street, Duke of Gloucester Street, was designed to be 90 feet wide and exactly one mile from the
Wren Building at its western end to the Capitol at the eastern end. Significant Colonial Williamsburg
buildings include:
The Governor’s Palace: When it was completed in 1722, the residence of Virginia’s
royal governor was considered one of the finest buildings in British North America.
The elegant and imposing residence of seven royal governors and the commonwealth’s
first two state governors was reconstructed on its original foundations and opened to the
public in April 1934. It is furnished according to an inventory taken by Royal Governor
Dunmore. The Palace complex includes a stable, kitchen and elaborate gardens.
Raleigh Tavern: One of Virginia’s most important taverns during the 18th century, the
Raleigh was established about 1717. It was the center for social, commercial and political
gatherings, small private and large public dinners, lectures and exhibits, and auctions of
merchandise and property. In 1769, when Gov. Botetourt dissolved the House of
Burgesses, many indignant burgesses reconvened in the Apollo Room at the Raleigh to
draw up a boycott of British goods. A similar meeting was conducted five years later
when the assembly again was dissolved. Phi Beta Kappa was founded here in 1776. The
original building burned December 11, 1859. The reconstructed tavern was the first
Colonial Williamsburg exhibition building to open to the public, in September 1932.
3L9
COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG’S SIGNIFICANT BUILDINGS – Page 2
Capitol: The H-shaped plan of the Capitol is an early example of an architectural design
successfully devised for a specific purpose. It also reflects the composition of Virginia’s
colonial government. The upper and lower houses of government are on opposite sides
of the building, with a “neutral” committee room bridging the two halves. The current
structure represents the first capitol, which was built in 1701 and reconstructed during
the 1930s. The Capitol was the site of many important political events that led to
Virginia’s participation in the War for Independence. The most significant of these took
place May 15, 1776, when Virginia’s legislators unanimously adopted a resolution
instructing their delegates in Philadelphia to introduce a resolution that the colonies be
declared independent from England, nearly two months before the Continental
Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia.
George Wythe House: One of the most influential Americans of his era, George
Wythe (rhymes with Smith) was a scholar, statesman and mentor to Thomas Jefferson.
During his career he served as a burgess, attorney general, Speaker of the House of
Delegates, signer of the Declaration of Independence and was the first professor of law
at the College of William and Mary. This original attractive, Georgian-style home on
Palace Green was built in 1755.
Courthouse: One of Williamsburg’s original 18th-century buildings, the Courthouse of
1770 was the seat of local government and housed municipal and county courts until
1932. Like many other Virginia courthouses it is T-shaped. Its formal design elements –
arched windows, cantilevered pediment and octagonal cupola – reinforce the structure’s
official appearance. The building dominates Market Square, a green open space halfway
between the Capitol and the college.
Magazine: The magazine was built in 1715 by order of Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood,
who urgently requested a “good substantial house of brick” in which arms and
ammunition could be stored. One of Williamsburg’s original 18th century buildings, it
played a dramatic role in an incident that propelled Virginia toward revolution–the
Gunpowder Incident of April 1775, in which British mariners, ordered by Gov.
Dunmore, removed the town’s powder (controlled by the colony) under cover of
darkness.
Peyton Randolph House: The Peyton Randolph House is one of the best places to
experience the rich diversity of Colonial Williamsburg’s offerings. It is the 18th-century
home of Peyton Randolph, the first president of the Continental Congress and one of
the most politically powerful men in the colonies. The original Randolph House recently
was re-opened after a painstaking, state-of-the-art restoration based on more than two
decades of research and a remarkable original inventory of the house taken at the time of
Randolph’s death. Within the last several years numerous outbuildings, including a
granary, two storehouses, a covered walkway, a 2,000-square-foot kitchen, a dairy and a
smokehouse have been added to the site.
COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG’S SIGNIFICANT BUILDINGS – Page 3
Bassett Hall: This two-story 18th-century frame house on 585 acres (including
woodlands) was for many years the Williamsburg home of Mr. and Mrs. John D.
Rockefeller Jr. It was re-opened to the public in December 2002, following a
comprehensive two-year renovation that has included a new exhibition integrating the
history of the Rockefellers at Bassett Hall with the early years of the Williamsburg
Restoration as well as an updated house tour using live interpreters.
Ludwell-Paradise House: While not open to the public, the Ludwell-Paradise House,
an original building, was the first property purchased by John D. Rockefeller Jr. in
1926. This house is an example of the mixed use of buildings over time. Although an
earlier structure existed on this site, Philip Ludwell II built the present dwelling about
1755. In 18th-century Williamsburg, space meant money, so even this elegant town
house was rented as a tenement for many years. William Rind – and later his widow,
Clementina–operated a press on the premises where she printed the Virginia Gazette, a
newspaper still in print today. Ludwell’s eccentric daughter, Lucy Ludwell Paradise, lived
here in the 1800s.
Bruton Parish Church: An Episcopal church in continuous use since 1715, Bruton
Parish is a reminder of the role religion played in the lives of 18th-century Virginians
during a time when church and state were united. The walls and windows are original, as
is the west gallery where students at the College of William and Mary sat. Tradition holds
that the stone baptismal font was brought from an earlier church at Jamestown. Today
Bruton Parish Episcopal Church, located in the Historic Area, it is privately owned and
operated, and not officially affiliated with Colonial Williamsburg.
— CWF —
Media contact:
Jim Bradley
(757) 220-7286
01/07