1
00:00:01,234 --> 00:00:03,837
>>I think the essence 
of it has not changed.

2
00:00:03,837 --> 00:00:06,539
It's the history, the 
presence of the people

3
00:00:06,539 --> 00:00:08,575
who I feel were here.

4
00:00:08,575 --> 00:00:11,878
I'm just captivated 
by its essence.

5
00:00:11,878 --> 00:00:13,413
>>Today we're going to explore

6
00:00:13,413 --> 00:00:16,950
an amazing marble mansion 
situated on Afton Mountain

7
00:00:16,950 --> 00:00:18,585
in Nelson County.

8
00:00:18,585 --> 00:00:22,522
Built over a century ago 
this aging ornate estate

9
00:00:22,522 --> 00:00:24,224
is part history,

10
00:00:24,224 --> 00:00:28,895
part art, opulen6ce 
and philosophy, and 
100% fascinating.

11
00:00:30,063 --> 00:00:32,065
Join us as we visit 
Swannanoa Palace.

12
00:00:32,065 --> 00:00:33,333
Come on!

13
00:00:33,333 --> 00:00:37,971
>>So, we're gonna go 
in to the main dining

14
00:00:39,339 --> 00:00:43,576
and you have a D for 
Dooley and all the carving,

15
00:00:44,644 --> 00:00:46,246
you have the 
cornucopia for plenty.

16
00:00:47,447 --> 00:00:50,650
The one thing about 
this villa is that

17
00:00:50,650 --> 00:00:53,319
they were the first 
house in Nelson County

18
00:00:53,319 --> 00:00:56,089
to have hot and 
cold running water.

19
00:00:56,089 --> 00:00:59,426
And in addition, they 
had their own power plant

20
00:00:59,426 --> 00:01:02,729
where they had 
electricity as well.

21
00:01:02,729 --> 00:01:06,399
>>So Sandi, you're the Director 
of Events here at Swannanoa

22
00:01:06,399 --> 00:01:10,503
and your husband Phil's 
family owns the property.

23
00:01:10,503 --> 00:01:12,005
>>Yes.

24
00:01:12,005 --> 00:01:14,841
>>Tell us why was Swannanoa 
built in the first place.

25
00:01:14,841 --> 00:01:19,479
>>OK, in 1911, the Dooleys

26
00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:23,817
were familiar with the 
area because Mrs. Dooley

27
00:01:23,817 --> 00:01:27,821
as a child spent many times 
with her married sisters

28
00:01:27,821 --> 00:01:32,826
in Staunton, so they 
bought the property in 1911

29
00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:35,895
with the idea to 
build a summer home

30
00:01:35,895 --> 00:01:39,866
for primarily Mrs. 
Dooley and Mr. Dooley

31
00:01:39,866 --> 00:01:43,503
on occasion because he was 
working a lot as an attorney.

32
00:01:43,503 --> 00:01:45,772
>>And that's fascinating 
because what is the size

33
00:01:45,772 --> 00:01:47,774
of this home, this summer home?

34
00:01:47,774 --> 00:01:52,745
>>It's about 52,000 
square feet (all laughs)

35
00:01:54,114 --> 00:01:57,050
>>And they also had 
Maymont estate in Richmond?

36
00:01:57,050 --> 00:01:59,185
>>Yes, that was their main home.

37
00:01:59,185 --> 00:02:02,055
>>And so why was it 
called Swannanoa?

38
00:02:02,055 --> 00:02:03,790
>>Well, we have some theories.

39
00:02:03,790 --> 00:02:07,260
Mrs. Dooley loved swans 
and one of her reasons

40
00:02:07,260 --> 00:02:09,929
were that they mated for life.

41
00:02:09,929 --> 00:02:12,765
And I often wonder if 
they went to the Biltmore

42
00:02:12,765 --> 00:02:14,200
and stayed at some point

43
00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,538
because there is a 
Swannanoa River nearby.

44
00:02:18,538 --> 00:02:21,274
There's a little 
town called Swannanoa

45
00:02:21,274 --> 00:02:24,177
just northeast of Ashevill--

46
00:02:25,545 --> 00:02:26,479
>>In North Carolina.

47
00:02:26,479 --> 00:02:28,081
>>And thus the name Swannanoa.

48
00:02:28,081 --> 00:02:33,086
>>Well, talk about what went 
into building this home,

49
00:02:34,220 --> 00:02:37,056
this estate, I mean 
from the marble

50
00:02:37,056 --> 00:02:40,593
to the all of the 
fabulous wood work,

51
00:02:40,593 --> 00:02:41,861
tell me a little about it.

52
00:02:41,861 --> 00:02:45,498
>>Well, in 1911, they 
purchased the property

53
00:02:45,498 --> 00:02:49,969
from JB Yount's grandfather 
who lived in Waynesboro,

54
00:02:49,969 --> 00:02:51,471
it was a farm.

55
00:02:51,471 --> 00:02:56,276
So what was amazing is 
how quickly it was built.

56
00:02:56,276 --> 00:02:59,078
The marble on the 
outside came from Georgia

57
00:02:59,078 --> 00:03:00,647
in the United States.

58
00:03:00,647 --> 00:03:02,482
It would've come by railroad

59
00:03:02,482 --> 00:03:05,051
and come to the base 
of Afton Mountain

60
00:03:05,051 --> 00:03:08,621
and would have been 
brought here by oxen cart.

61
00:03:08,621 --> 00:03:12,258
The outside was 
finished by 1912.

62
00:03:12,258 --> 00:03:14,861
And then they 
started on the inside

63
00:03:14,861 --> 00:03:18,665
and all the marble 
inside came from Italy.

64
00:03:18,665 --> 00:03:21,267
And so, same thing.

65
00:03:21,267 --> 00:03:22,535
>>And there is so much marble,

66
00:03:22,535 --> 00:03:24,437
I mean, this whole 
house's marble;

67
00:03:24,437 --> 00:03:26,806
and then talk about the talk 
about the stained glass.

68
00:03:26,806 --> 00:03:29,242
>>Well, the stained 
glass is a Tiffany

69
00:03:29,242 --> 00:03:33,746
and it's the largest 
installation in a house

70
00:03:33,746 --> 00:03:35,548
in the United States.

71
00:03:35,548 --> 00:03:39,552
It depicts Sallie 
Mae in her garden

72
00:03:39,552 --> 00:03:42,222
with all her favorite flowers.

73
00:03:42,222 --> 00:03:44,390
>>And there's so much 
attention to detail,

74
00:03:44,390 --> 00:03:46,859
the railing and the wood work,

75
00:03:46,859 --> 00:03:50,063
how many artisans 
worked on the property?

76
00:03:50,063 --> 00:03:53,633
>>Inside, 300 artisans 
worked in every room,

77
00:03:53,633 --> 00:03:55,902
speaking different languages

78
00:03:55,902 --> 00:04:00,807
because you have artisans 
from Asian, Asian Indian,

79
00:04:02,442 --> 00:04:06,412
and they would've 
done the Persian room,

80
00:04:06,412 --> 00:04:09,115
and then you had artisans 
doing all the carving

81
00:04:09,115 --> 00:04:13,253
in the library and in 
the dining room as well.

82
00:04:13,253 --> 00:04:15,989
And the mantles were carved.

83
00:04:15,989 --> 00:04:17,690
>>And all of the 
painting and murals.

84
00:04:17,690 --> 00:04:18,925
>>The frescoes.

85
00:04:18,925 --> 00:04:20,093
>>Oh my goodness.

86
00:04:20,093 --> 00:04:22,895
>>The frescoes are all original.

87
00:04:22,895 --> 00:04:25,498
The one in the dome 
depicts Sallie Mae

88
00:04:26,933 --> 00:04:31,037
and her little chariot being 
pulled by cherubs (laughs)

89
00:04:31,037 --> 00:04:35,074
and so, unfortunately 
in the main hall,

90
00:04:35,074 --> 00:04:36,943
the murals were painted over

91
00:04:36,943 --> 00:04:39,912
and we think it might've 
happened when it was left

92
00:04:39,912 --> 00:04:42,949
to Mr. Dooley's sisters,

93
00:04:42,949 --> 00:04:45,652
one who was a nun 
who I think thought

94
00:04:45,652 --> 00:04:47,654
they were going to 
have a nunnery here,

95
00:04:47,654 --> 00:04:52,125
and they spackled over all 
of the frescoes in this room.

96
00:04:52,125 --> 00:04:54,193
>>Okay, let's talk 
a little bit about,

97
00:04:54,193 --> 00:04:55,795
more about the 
history of Swannanoa,

98
00:04:55,795 --> 00:04:56,996
so the Dooleys had it,

99
00:04:56,996 --> 00:04:59,299
they were here for 
about 10 years, right?

100
00:04:59,299 --> 00:05:04,070
>>Yes. Mr. Dooley didn't 
live past nine years

101
00:05:04,070 --> 00:05:05,605
after it was built.

102
00:05:05,605 --> 00:05:08,608
They were up in age 
when they built this.

103
00:05:08,608 --> 00:05:10,143
>>And Sally may 
died here, correct?

104
00:05:10,143 --> 00:05:12,545
>>Yes, she did a 
few years later.

105
00:05:12,545 --> 00:05:15,648
He bequeathed it 
to his two sisters

106
00:05:15,648 --> 00:05:18,985
who pretty quickly they knew 
they couldn't really afford

107
00:05:18,985 --> 00:05:23,990
to be here, and it was too 
ornate, especially for a nun.

108
00:05:25,191 --> 00:05:27,994
And so they sold it to 
a group of businessmen

109
00:05:27,994 --> 00:05:31,798
and so they put 
in a golf course,

110
00:05:31,798 --> 00:05:34,233
they subdivided all the lots

111
00:05:34,233 --> 00:05:38,204
but they didn't foresee the 
Great Depression coming.

112
00:05:38,204 --> 00:05:42,041
And so in 1932, the 
country club went bankrupt

113
00:05:42,041 --> 00:05:44,844
and left the mountain in 1932.

114
00:05:44,844 --> 00:05:49,849
The house stayed 
empty for 12 years,

115
00:05:50,583 --> 00:05:55,088
from 1932 to 1944,

116
00:05:55,088 --> 00:05:58,024
and I hear tales of,

117
00:05:58,024 --> 00:06:01,027
the old folks in Waynesboro 
talk about roller skating

118
00:06:01,027 --> 00:06:02,695
on the first floor,

119
00:06:02,695 --> 00:06:06,165
they talk about having prom 
parties here after prom.

120
00:06:06,165 --> 00:06:07,567
>>Oh my goodness.

121
00:06:07,567 --> 00:06:09,702
>>They talk about animals 
coming in and out,

122
00:06:09,702 --> 00:06:11,037
so it was open

123
00:06:11,037 --> 00:06:13,005
to the elements for 12 years. 
>>Oh my goodness.

124
00:06:13,005 --> 00:06:14,474
And then what happened?

125
00:06:14,474 --> 00:06:18,244
>>Then in 1944, my husband's 
grandfather came along,

126
00:06:18,244 --> 00:06:20,813
he was a businessman 
in Charlottesville,

127
00:06:20,813 --> 00:06:24,384
got a group of seven more 
businessman he knew together

128
00:06:24,384 --> 00:06:26,819
and they pooled 
their money together

129
00:06:26,819 --> 00:06:30,390
to buy 600 acres which 
included Swannanoa.

130
00:06:30,390 --> 00:06:31,624
Now they weren't sure what

131
00:06:31,624 --> 00:06:33,426
they were gonna 
do with Swannanoa.

132
00:06:33,426 --> 00:06:36,729
So the house sat empty 
for another four years

133
00:06:36,729 --> 00:06:39,399
and along came the Russells,

134
00:06:39,399 --> 00:06:43,936
and they had seen it 
earlier but Lao liked to say

135
00:06:43,936 --> 00:06:48,374
she had a vision and so 
they arrived around 1949.

136
00:06:49,642 --> 00:06:51,744
And their organization,

137
00:06:51,744 --> 00:06:55,248
The University of Science and 
Philosophy rented Swannanoa

138
00:06:55,248 --> 00:06:56,315
for 50 years.

139
00:06:56,315 --> 00:06:57,450
>>For 50 years!

140
00:06:57,450 --> 00:06:58,885
>>Yes!

141
00:06:58,885 --> 00:07:00,620
>>Walter Russell had foreseen

142
00:07:00,620 --> 00:07:05,291
that there would be some kind 
of university or institute

143
00:07:05,291 --> 00:07:07,894
that would be established 
in the United States

144
00:07:07,894 --> 00:07:10,730
that would teach the 
essence of their work,

145
00:07:10,730 --> 00:07:13,633
the unification of all peoples,

146
00:07:13,633 --> 00:07:15,468
teaching divine love,

147
00:07:15,468 --> 00:07:17,637
and the genius in every person

148
00:07:17,637 --> 00:07:22,208
which was very much 
exemplified by Walter Russell.

149
00:07:22,208 --> 00:07:25,511
So with their coming here,

150
00:07:25,511 --> 00:07:28,614
they completely felt guided,

151
00:07:28,614 --> 00:07:31,551
they had looked all over 
the West Coast everywhere

152
00:07:31,551 --> 00:07:33,519
throughout different mountains

153
00:07:33,519 --> 00:07:35,822
and he trusted that 
this was the place

154
00:07:35,822 --> 00:07:37,990
they were supposed to be.

155
00:07:37,990 --> 00:07:39,725
>>I call this the music room

156
00:07:39,725 --> 00:07:41,694
or the ladies sitting room.

157
00:07:41,694 --> 00:07:43,896
You have notes 
over the fireplace,

158
00:07:43,896 --> 00:07:48,100
you have instruments over the 
door and over every window.

159
00:07:48,100 --> 00:07:51,137
And then you have this fireplace

160
00:07:51,137 --> 00:07:55,708
which was carved in Florence 
in 1910 by a professor.

161
00:07:55,708 --> 00:07:58,978
>>So when did your husband 
take over the company

162
00:07:58,978 --> 00:08:01,214
in Swannanoa, Skyline 
Swannanoa Inc?

163
00:08:01,214 --> 00:08:04,984
>>Yes, well, my 
husband was in college

164
00:08:04,984 --> 00:08:06,986
at UVA in the COMM school.

165
00:08:06,986 --> 00:08:10,923
And his father 
passed of lung cancer

166
00:08:10,923 --> 00:08:14,994
so at that time his uncle 
came in to run the company

167
00:08:14,994 --> 00:08:18,197
but he wasn't really 
a businessman.

168
00:08:18,197 --> 00:08:22,869
And so the family urged Phil 
to finish college early.

169
00:08:22,869 --> 00:08:27,673
And then he came and started 
running the company in 1971.

170
00:08:27,673 --> 00:08:30,409
>>And what were his 
plans for Swannanoa?

171
00:08:30,409 --> 00:08:33,546
>>Well, because the 
Russells were here,

172
00:08:33,546 --> 00:08:36,549
he didn't really have 
any plans for Swannanoa.

173
00:08:36,549 --> 00:08:40,086
However, when they left,

174
00:08:40,086 --> 00:08:43,289
he knew he needed to do 
something with the house,

175
00:08:43,289 --> 00:08:46,993
and so he started 
having open houses,

176
00:08:46,993 --> 00:08:51,430
he started doing weddings 
and photo shoots,

177
00:08:51,430 --> 00:08:52,932
so now-- 
>>And renovating,

178
00:08:52,932 --> 00:08:57,136
because something of this 
size needs constant care

179
00:08:57,136 --> 00:08:58,971
and it really needed some care,

180
00:08:58,971 --> 00:09:00,473
so talk about some of 
the renovations that he--

181
00:09:00,473 --> 00:09:05,011
>>Well, he spent millions of 
dollars repainting the outside

182
00:09:05,011 --> 00:09:07,914
of the marble and 
having it cleaned

183
00:09:07,914 --> 00:09:09,582
on the outside of the house.

184
00:09:09,582 --> 00:09:12,451
He had windows 
and doors replaced

185
00:09:12,451 --> 00:09:14,787
and painted back to the color

186
00:09:14,787 --> 00:09:17,323
that the Dooleys 
had, which was brown.

187
00:09:17,323 --> 00:09:18,724
>>And roof work too, right?

188
00:09:18,724 --> 00:09:20,192
>>Yes.

189
00:09:20,192 --> 00:09:24,564
Actually he contacted the 
same roofing company in Italy

190
00:09:25,431 --> 00:09:26,532
that did it for the Dooleys,

191
00:09:26,532 --> 00:09:28,000
they were still in business,

192
00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:29,802
they still had the records,

193
00:09:29,802 --> 00:09:34,440
and so they were able 
to redo all the tiles

194
00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:37,743
because they were numbered 
and ship them over here

195
00:09:37,743 --> 00:09:41,581
to be put on and replaced 
so we had the roof replaced

196
00:09:41,581 --> 00:09:45,117
and we also had the skylight 
replaced that was leaking.

197
00:09:45,117 --> 00:09:49,855
>>And his plans were maybe 
to do a B&B and more events.

198
00:09:49,855 --> 00:09:54,627
>>Yes, and so he 
had at first wanted

199
00:09:54,627 --> 00:09:57,430
to make it a bed-and-breakfast,

200
00:09:57,430 --> 00:09:59,298
but he soon found 
out that was quite

201
00:09:59,298 --> 00:10:02,602
an expensive venture because 
the electricity would have

202
00:10:02,602 --> 00:10:03,703
to be updated.

203
00:10:04,870 --> 00:10:08,040
The water system would 
have to be updated,

204
00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:10,810
he would have to 
have a sewage plant.

205
00:10:10,810 --> 00:10:13,312
So he did the major 
things he needed to do

206
00:10:13,312 --> 00:10:17,750
to keep the house from leaking 
and having all those issues.

207
00:10:17,750 --> 00:10:19,652
>>Yeah, and then 
the recession hit

208
00:10:19,652 --> 00:10:22,955
and then he has had some 
serious health issues.

209
00:10:22,955 --> 00:10:25,224
>>Yes, in March, he had a stroke

210
00:10:25,224 --> 00:10:27,793
and he has what's called 
Wernicke's aphasia

211
00:10:27,793 --> 00:10:30,296
so he can't speak very well.

212
00:10:30,296 --> 00:10:34,033
So now he's at home with me 
and he's getting good care now.

213
00:10:34,033 --> 00:10:36,702
>>Yes, and you're taking 
care of Swannanoa?

214
00:10:36,702 --> 00:10:39,038
>>Yes, I am, I retired from UVA

215
00:10:39,038 --> 00:10:42,108
and it took me a while 
to gather my composure

216
00:10:42,108 --> 00:10:46,112
to know what to do because 
he had all that information

217
00:10:46,112 --> 00:10:47,747
and he couldn't speak.

218
00:10:49,482 --> 00:10:50,683
So what I did

219
00:10:50,683 --> 00:10:54,420
is I started having 
people call me

220
00:10:54,420 --> 00:10:58,057
for weddings for special 
events, photo shoots;

221
00:10:58,057 --> 00:11:00,893
we've had a number of 
photo shoots this year.

222
00:11:00,893 --> 00:11:03,195
>>And then tours, 
so people come in

223
00:11:03,195 --> 00:11:04,930
and they have tours-- 
>>Yes.

224
00:11:04,930 --> 00:11:06,732
>>They don't tour 
the whole estate,

225
00:11:06,732 --> 00:11:09,902
it's not completely all open 
but they tour quite a bit

226
00:11:09,902 --> 00:11:14,640
and they have a garden area 
behind the back and the outdoor.

227
00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:16,776
>>And the water tower 
in the back looks

228
00:11:16,776 --> 00:11:19,445
like Rapunzel's tower (laughs).

229
00:11:20,312 --> 00:11:21,614
>>And what do they like most?

230
00:11:21,614 --> 00:11:23,149
What do they say when 
you're giving a tour?

231
00:11:23,149 --> 00:11:25,151
What do you think is their 
favorite part of the house?

232
00:11:25,151 --> 00:11:28,254
>>They don't, zero 
in on one thing.

233
00:11:28,254 --> 00:11:29,488
>>Yeah, it's pretty 
overwhelming.

234
00:11:29,488 --> 00:11:32,191
>>It is overwhelming 
to see everything.

235
00:11:33,526 --> 00:11:36,595
It's a very solid staircase, 
it's steel and wood

236
00:11:36,595 --> 00:11:40,666
and as you notice it does not 
move after all these years.

237
00:11:40,666 --> 00:11:42,201
Now when the Dooley's were here,

238
00:11:42,201 --> 00:11:45,204
the trees were no 
taller than we are,

239
00:11:45,204 --> 00:11:48,441
so they must have 
had a fantastic view.

240
00:11:48,441 --> 00:11:51,610
>>I think a lot of us within 
the University of Science

241
00:11:51,610 --> 00:11:55,214
and Philosophy are 
feeling a major revival

242
00:11:55,214 --> 00:11:56,449
of the Russell work.

243
00:11:58,818 --> 00:12:00,586
There's a lot of 
people who would love

244
00:12:00,586 --> 00:12:04,190
to see Swannanoa open 
up again as a museum

245
00:12:04,190 --> 00:12:06,258
for Walter Russell's work.

246
00:12:06,258 --> 00:12:10,996
Historically, I would love to 
see it completely renovated,

247
00:12:10,996 --> 00:12:13,566
so that it will be kept intact

248
00:12:13,566 --> 00:12:15,768
for the future of our children,

249
00:12:15,768 --> 00:12:20,039
and that everyone can 
appreciate the Gilded Age

250
00:12:20,039 --> 00:12:24,143
of architecture, and 
so that it will last

251
00:12:24,143 --> 00:12:26,378
many, many, many more centuries.

252
00:12:27,379 --> 00:12:29,949
(upbeat music)