Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United States / Richmond / The Jefferson Hotel
The Jefferson Hotel
Richmond, Virginia, United States · Independent · Core Luxury
Lewis Ginter hired Carrere and Hastings to open The Jefferson on Halloween 1895 as a Beaux-Arts palace for Richmond. The Rotunda's marble stairs and stained-glass skylight still set the house; Lemaire is the restaurant. Live alligators occupied the Palm Court pools until Old Pompey died in 1948. Louis Malle shot My Dinner with Andre in the empty Grand Ballroom in 1980.
- 181 rooms
- Opened 1895
- Neighborhood: Monroe Ward
- Rooms from 400 sq ft (37 m²)
- Architect: Carrere and Hastings (original 1895 building); J. Kevan Peebles (1901–1907 rebuild after fire)
- Interiors: Copeland Krieger Associates
About The Jefferson Hotel
- Carrere and Hastings designed the 1895 house for tobacco magnate Lewis Ginter, the same New York firm behind the New York Public Library's Fifth Avenue building.
- Alligators lived in the Palm Court pools; Old Pompey, the last, died in 1948, and bronze gators now mark the circle drive.
- The grand marble staircase and Rotunda are the Beaux-Arts set piece; Lemaire is the hotel restaurant.
- Louis Malle filmed My Dinner with Andre (1981) in the Grand Ballroom when the hotel stood empty in 1980.
- Entry-level rooms start at 400 sq ft (37 m²).
History
Major Lewis Ginter hired Carrère and Hastings to open The Jefferson on Halloween 1895, a Beaux-Arts palace for Richmond inspired by Rome's Villa Medici: the same New York firm that later did the Public Library on Fifth Avenue. A fire wrecked the south half. J. Kevan Peebles rebuilt in 1901, opening the Grand Staircase and expanding the Rotunda. Live alligators occupied the Palm Court pools until Old Pompey died in 1948; bronze gators now mark the circle drive.
The hotel later stood empty enough that Louis Malle used the Grand Ballroom as Café des Artistes for My Dinner with André, shot in 1980. Restoration brought back the Rotunda, the marble stairs, and Lemaire.
It remains an independent Richmond house. The 1895 Ginter palace is still the one with the stained-glass skylight.
Restaurants and bars
- Lemaire Restaurant — Restaurant
Experiences
- Hotel museum — A museum at the bottom of the Grand Staircase, established in 1985, with a collection of hotel artifacts.
Amenities
- Pool
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
- Forbes Travel Guide Recommended (2026)
Open The Jefferson Hotel in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
More hotels in Richmond
- Quirk Hotel Richmond — Quirk · Near Luxury