A westward view along Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg, Virginia, likely taken from the balcony or cupola of the Capitol on January 15, 1934, just before the reconstruction of the street and the removal of the center island. Armistead House, then on Duke of Gloucester Street before its 1995 move, is visible on the right, with the Palmer House on the left.
A House Built to Last
The Armistead House was built in 1890 by Cary Peyton Armistead, a prominent lawyer and head of the local Democratic Party, for his wife Eudora and their five children. Cary's father, Robert Henry Armistead, owned much of the land surrounding the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg.
In 1889, Cary Peyton Armistead purchased the property known as the Morrison House, which had previously been the colonial-era Richard Charlton's Coffeehouse. Armistead removed the 18th-century building but incorporated elements such as the original foundation, timber, and bricks into his new home. This house served as his primary residence and law office until his death in 1901. The southwest parlor, now the inn's lobby, originally functioned as his law office with its own private entrance.
His two daughters, Dora and Cara, never married and were the last of his children to live in the house, residing there well into the late 20th century. After Cara's death, the house became known as the "Dora Armistead House," to distinguish it from the nearby Greek Revival Bowden-Armistead House.
Cary Peyton Armistead constructs his Queen Anne Victorian home, incorporating original bricks and timbers from Charlton's colonial-era Coffeehouse.
The Armistead family refuses Rockefeller's offer to purchase, remaining one of the few post-colonial structures in the historic district.
The Armistead family rents rooms to tourists from the 1940s through the late 1970s, the house's first chapter as an inn.
Transferred to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; relocated to 320 N Henry Street under a no-demolition stipulation.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 10, 2020, during the restoration led by Dennis Nordstrom.
Restoration complete; acquired by its current owner and opened as a historic inn in early 2022.
The Move
During the restoration of Williamsburg to its colonial period, John D. Rockefeller, through his agent W.A.R. Goodwin, sought to purchase the Armistead property. The Armistead family refused to sell, making their home one of the few post-colonial structures remaining in the recreated 18th-century landscape. This refusal reportedly caused tension between the Armistead heirs and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation for decades. From the 1940s to the late 1970s, the Armisteads rented rooms in the house to tourists, taking advantage of their prime location in the historic area.
Eventually, the property was transferred to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation with the stipulation that the building could not be demolished. In 1995, the Armistead House was relocated from Duke of Gloucester Street to its current location at 320 N Henry Street, surrounded by other dwellings from the same period.
Restoration and New Life
Julie and Clyde Nordstrom, longtime Williamsburg residents and graduates of William & Mary, acquired the Armistead House in its unrestored state from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation after the house's relocation. They began an extensive preservation, renovation, and restoration project, led by their son Dennis Nordstrom (W&M class of 1983), beginning in early 2019.
The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 10, 2020. The restoration was completed, and the Armistead House was acquired by its current owner for operation as a historic inn in early 2022. Today the inn offers six guest rooms, each named for a Victorian-era figure, in one of Williamsburg's most storied buildings, two blocks from the Colonial Williamsburg Historic District.
Stay in a Piece of History
Six rooms in an 1890 Victorian landmark, two blocks from Colonial Williamsburg.