A Legacy on Leigh Street

This Italianate mansion was the home of pioneering African American entrepreneur Maggie Lena Walker from about 1904 until her death in 1934, including the final thirty years of her life, and she expanded it to accommodate four generations of her family. Her opulent residence, along with those of her successful neighbors, gave the 100 block of East Leigh Street the nickname “Quality Row.” Walker rose to national prominence as a crusader for racial justice, women’s rights, and economic empowerment, and as leader of the Independent Order of St. Luke she chartered the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in 1903, becoming the nation’s first African American female bank president. She purchased the house in 1904 from African American physician Robert E. Jones and added its columned porch in 1922, giving it the stately appearance it has today. Walker’s family cared for the house long after her death, and many of the furnishings on display belonged to her.

Richmond, Virginia · United States