Taylor-Mayo House
Also known as: Mayo Memorial Church House
Why it's listed
Standing at the corner of Franklin and Jefferson Streets in Richmond, this two-story stuccoed brick house was built in 1845 for William F. Taylor after his father, Samuel Taylor, bought the land in 1841. Its five-bay facade is dominated by a two-story Ionic portico under a low hipped roof. Richmond had many Greek Revival buildings, but only two private residences are known to have taken the Greek Temple form, and this is the one that survives. Tobacco merchant Peter H. Mayo bought the house in 1883 and remodeled it from 1884, raising the original one-story wings to two stories and adding a long west addition while keeping the original facade. Inside, he installed mahogany, olive, walnut, oak and bird's-eye-maple woodwork, parquet floors and a carved quartered-oak stairway topped by a leaded skylight. Mayo's daughters later gave the house to the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, which still uses it for church offices.
Significance in brief: The nomination holds that the house is one of only two private Richmond residences known to have been built in the Greek Temple form, and the only one to survive. It also notes the elaborate 1880s interior remodeling by tobacco magnate Peter H. Mayo, with exotic woods and a carved Neo-Renaissance stairway.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 73002221, listed April 2, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 110 W. Franklin St., Richmond (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Richmond (city and county) |
| Listed | April 2, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73002221 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific date 1845) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival (Greek Temple form), with Neo-Renaissance interior stairway |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition, on its original site, and used for church offices by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia; the interior plan has been altered. |
| Acreage | 9.9 |
| Within district | James River and Kanawha Canal Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.54506, -77.44497 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 73002221.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16901369
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.