Hidden · Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk, United States
Moses Myers House
A brick Federal townhouse in downtown Norfolk where a Jewish merchant family lived, and where most of the original furnishings are still in place.
A merchant family's brick townhouse from the 1790s.
Moses Myers moved to Norfolk in 1787 with his wife, Eliza. Five years later he bought a large lot and built a home for the family: a two-story brick townhouse in the Federal style, finished around 1792. A pedimented gable roof and a small portico around the front door mark its facade.
In 1796 a two-story wing with an octagonal end, attributed to Benjamin H. Latrobe, was added at the back to hold a large dining room. A service wing and an attached two-story kitchen also stand behind the main house.
A house that kept its contents and faces an uncertain future.
The house was renovated in 1906 ahead of the Jamestown Exposition and became a house museum in 1931. From 1960 it was restored again: Victorian additions were removed, the first-floor joists were repaired, the rooms were repainted in a more accurate color scheme, and a Ludowici clay tile roof was installed to match the look of the original wood shingles. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
Around 70 percent of the original contents remain, among them American, English and French furniture, glass, silver and ceramics, plus portraits by Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Sully and John Wesley Jarvis, all commissioned or acquired by the Myers family. The property includes the attached quarters of the enslaved people who worked for the family, along with a historic garden. The City of Norfolk owns it, and the Chrysler Museum of Art oversees it. In October 2022 the city council voted to move forward with a possible sale of the whole property, which drew objections from several groups, including the Norfolk Historical Society.
The house and the museum that oversees it.
Practical notes.
Before you go.
Who was Moses Myers?
A merchant who moved to Norfolk in 1787 with his wife, Eliza, and about five years later built this house for their family. The house is a record of the life of a prosperous Jewish merchant family in the early 19th century.
What style is the Moses Myers House?
It is a two-story Federal brick townhouse built around 1792. The rear dining room wing, added in 1796, has an octagonal end and is attributed to Benjamin H. Latrobe.
Are the furnishings original?
Mostly. About 70 percent of the original contents remain, including furniture, glass, silver, ceramics and family portraits that the Myers family commissioned or acquired.
Can you visit the Moses Myers House?
It has operated as a house museum since 1931 and is overseen by the Chrysler Museum of Art. Because the city council voted in 2022 to explore selling it, check the museum's website for current access.
Around Norfolk
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