John Marshall House

John Marshall is best known as the “Great Chief Justice” for his role in creating the modern Supreme Court. He served from 1801 until 1835 and his influential decisions, such as Marbury v. Madison, helped shape the principle of judicial review. With the largest collection of original Marshall family pieces, guided tours of his home offer an in-depth look at the formation of American government through the lens of the federal judiciary.

Marshall had his home built in Richmond’s historic Court End neighborhood in 1790 and lived there for forty-five years until his death. It is a Federal-style brick building that originally included several outbuildings, including his law office.

The home remained in the Marshall family until the Chief Justice’s granddaughters sold the land to the City of Richmond in 1907. When the City announced plans to demolish the house to build a high school, the leadership of Preservation Virginia protested. In 1911, the house was placed in the care of Preservation Virginia to be restored and opened to the public. The building was officially transferred to our in ownership in 2006.

For the health and safety of our guests, we’re taking the following precautions as part of re-opening:

Our pledge to you–

• We will continuously clean bathroom fixtures, doorknobs and other highly touched surfaces multiple times throughout the day with a deep clean at the close of business.

• All of our staff will wear masks and will be trained on appropriate cleaning, hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette.

• All of our staff will maintain physical distancing (6 feet) while conducting tours and collecting admissions. Where possible, we have placed reminders to help you maintain that distance.

• Each day, all Preservation Virginia staff members will be required to pass a wellness check. Anyone that is sick or exhibiting systems will not be allowed to work that day.

• Hand sanitizer will be located throughout the building for guest and staff use.

• We will limit the size of groups to maintain physical distancing on interior tours.  Tour limits are as follows:

  • Groups are limited to six (6) people

• Wherever possible doors will remain open to alleviate the necessity of touching.

• Our guidelines do not supersede any directives issued by government entities and will be continuously evaluated and amended as we receive further guidance from the CDC and other agencies.

Your pledge to us–

• You will practice the Virginia mandated physical distancing guidelines that have been put into place to protect you, our staff and other guests.  This includes maintaining 6 feet of distance and wearing masks are required for interior access, including the museum shop, shuttles and restroom facilities and are recommended outdoors.

• You will register for tours online and in advance and use “no touch payment” when possible.

• You will refrain from bringing food, water or other items on to the site. If you do, please “leave no trace” and take your trash with you to help protect others from possible exposure to infection.

• If you have been exposed to COVID-19, feel sick or have a fever, please stay home, and we look forward to seeing you when you are well.