The sisters sold Swannanoa in 1926 to the Valley Corporation of Richmond, which became the second owner of Swannanoa. They planned and opened the Swannanoa Country Club and Golf Course in 1927.
The 18-hole "Swannanoa" course at the Swannanoa Golf and Country Club facility in Afton, Virginia features 6,000 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 70. The course rating is 67.0 and it has a slope rating of 112 on Blue grass.
Like Monticello, Thomas Jefferson 's house 27 miles away, it had a dumbwaiter to bring food up from the basement kitchen to the butlers pantry on the first floor. The sisters sold Swannanoa in 1926 to the Valley Corporation of Richmond, which became the second owner of Swannanoa.
Swannanoa is an Italian Renaissance Revival villa built in 1912 by millionaire and philanthropist James H. Dooley (1841–1922) above Rockfish Gap on the border of northern Nelson County and Augusta County, Virginia, in the US. It is partially based on buildings in the Villa Medici, Rome.
Designated VLR. May 16, 1978. Swannanoa is an Italian Renaissance Revival villa built in 1912 by millionaire and philanthropist James H. Dooley (1841–1922) above Rockfish Gap on the border of northern Nelson County and Augusta County, Virginia, in the US. It is partially based on buildings in the Villa Medici, Rome.
The sisters sold Swannanoa in 1926 to the Valley Corporation of Richmond, which became the second owner of Swannanoa. They planned and opened a country club in 1929 and closed in 1932. During that time they built the stone building on the property rumored to house the region's best moonshine distillery and which was a favored supplier for government officials during Prohibition. The golf course was an 18-hole course. It was during Swannanoa's time as a country club that Calvin Coolidge had Thanksgiving dinner (1928) at the mansion. The sumptuous accommodations and isolation from the Capitol's hubbub seemed to affect Mrs. Coolidge deeply, giving her "the giddiness of a mare in the spring" according to the waitstaff. Calvin was typically silent on the subject, but seemed rather drawn and sleepy for the next day's hunting.
They decided that two joint facilities would be set up, one on the East Coast near Washington, D. C., and the other in California. During succeeding weeks various officers visited two imposing estates, "Swannanoa" near Charlottesville, Virginia, and "Marwood" at Potomac, Maryland; however, both ultimately were rejected.
President Calvin Coolidge and his wife visited nearby Swannanoa Country Club on Thanksgiving Day 1928. Whether or not the Coolidges actually visited Swannanoa mansion is unknown. But from another source, the Swannanoa Country Club was this mansion building, and he did visit the building.
In 1992 Bill and Virginia Edwards, neighbors of Swannanoa for several decades, went public with claims that Swannanoa was owned by the Royal Family of England and had served as the secret meeting place for the Group of 30.
For the next twelve years Swannanoa was abandoned. During this time, adventuresome kids frequently visited the property and roller-skated in its foyer. The landscaping was unkempt and the golf course abandoned. The house was looted and animals moved in while parts of the house was exposed to the elements. Miraculously, the Tiffany window remained intact.
When Walter and Lao first visited Swannanoa, Lao immediately felt a connection. While overlooking the valley she remarked that it resembled a vision she had in a dream two years prior. Walter needed no further convincing; a deal was struck between Skyline Swannanoa and the Russells for the old mansion. The couple signed a fifty-year agreement to lease the home and gardens. After the agreement was signed eight moving vans carrying 36 tons of artwork and sculpture unloaded the vast Russell collection from their previous residences.
Because the couple never had children, Swannanoa was left to James Dooley’s sisters. They quickly realized they were ill-equipped to maintain such a grand estate and decided to sell it. In July of 1926 the sisters sold the estate to Swannanoa Estates, Inc. The group, led by Oliver J. Sands, turned the property into a country club by adding a golf course, swimming pool, and tennis courts. Swannanoa itself became the clubhouse.
For Swannanoa the most urgent need is to address deterioration and seal the envelope of the structure. Beyond the financial shortfalls, complicating matters is any work must be performed to a standard of historic site rehabilitation. This increases cost and reduces the list of qualified contractors. Sustainability presents another list of challenges: If the estate is restored, who foots the bill for its ongoing maintenance?
Living at Swannanoa year-round proved difficult. Although the home has electricity and running water, there is no air conditioning and it is extremely difficult to heat. Sandi Dulaney admits “ the winters are brutal up here .” She points out the Dooleys only lived in the home from May until September – and they had a cadre of servants to clean and run the estate.
From 1936 until 1941 the property taxes went unpaid. The past-due bill was eventually paid in 1943 by the Valley Corporation, a group said to represent the Dooley heirs. The Valley Corporation then purchased the property for $45,000 at public auction on May 20 th, 1944, before selling it five months later to Alvin Tandy Dulaney of the Skyline Swannanoa Corporation for $60,100.
SWANNANOA — A nearly 800-acre Swannanoa property that once was the intended site of a luxury housing community and a Tiger Woods-designed golf course has changed hands, but future development plans there remain unclear.
But Woods' likeness was prominently featured in a past advertising campaign for High Carolina, similar to other Cliffs properties which have golf courses designed by prominent figures such as Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.
The Cliffs is a series of seven private luxury communities owned by Charlotte and Charleston, South Carolina-based development company South Street Partners, which acquired them in March.