The Jefferson Hotel

The Jefferson Hotel opened in 1895 and is a great example of the Beaux Arts architectural style. The brainchild of Lewis Ginter, the hotel was built to be one of the grandest hotels in the South, and has become an integral part of the social and cultural history of Richmond. It’s even been rumored that the staircase that Scarlet walks down in Gone with the Wind was modeled off the grand staircase in The Jefferson.

Here is a marble statue of Thomas Jefferson in the lobby.

At his feet is this bronze alligator. The Jefferson actually had live alligators living in it’s lobby fountains until 1948 when the last one died. But they are still a large part of the lore of the Jefferson.