the moses myers house (circa 1797)

Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755-1828) Moses Myers, ca. 1808 Oil on poplar, 33 1/4 x 26 1/4 inches Moses Myers House, Norfolk, VA	Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755-1828) Eliza Judah Myers, ca. 1808 Oil on poplar, 33 1/4 x 26 1/4 inches Moses Myers House, Norfolk, VA

The stately Moses Myers House and its peerless collection create an exceptionally accurate picture of the late Federal period and the life of this prosperous Jewish family. Moses Myers, an early American entrepreneur and leading citizen, built the house to accommodate his growing family and prominence. Passing through several generations, Norfolk mayor Barton Myers, began to restore the house to its original beauty in 1892.

Containing a remarkable number of furnishings original to the family, the Moses Myers House was one of the first brick homes built in Norfolk after the Revolutionary War, during which time the town was leveled by British bombardment and subsequent fire. The family's paintings include Gilbert Stuart's companion portraits of Moses Myers and his wife, Eliza, as well as works by Thomas Sully.

The Drawing Room at the Moses Myers House

Extensive work on the home has taken place in 2004-2005 with the goal of returning the principal rooms of the first floor and the stair hall to their early 19th-century color schemes and to clean their neoclassical architectural ornaments. Read more about the restoration in a press release.

Conservator Steve Marder painstakingly removes the lowest layers of hardened oil paint to reveal the well-preserved gilding on the drawing room mantle at the Moses Myers House.

An ongoing restoration of the Myers House Garden is being undertaken by the Garden Club of Virginia.

Admission is free, and the museum is open Wednesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday 12 – 4 p.m. Tours hourly through 3 p.m.