A brief history of Hampton Inn Col Alto
Historic Lexington Virginia

   In June of 1997 a tradition of Col Alto was reborn as it opened its doors once again to welcome visitors to the city of Lexington. For years it was the stopping place for such notables as Governors of Virginia, United States Congressmen, brilliant scholars and great historical figures such as General Stonewall Jackson and General Robert E. Lee.

   This stately mansion was constructed in 1827, as a four-over-four classical revival structure for James McDowell, former Governor of Virginia from 1843-46, who bought the 328-acre property from his father, Colonel James McDowell.  Governor McDowell did not live here during his term in office, however, he entertained many guests here before, during and after he served as Governor.  His daughters often were hostesses to Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson in the decade before the Civil War.  Governor McDowell named the property “Col Alto,” which is Italian for “on the high,” because at that time it was the only structure on the east side of Lexington and had unobstructed views of the city and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

   After James McDowell’s death in 1851, Col Alto remained the property of descendants who added bedrooms and the elliptical staircase. 

   In 1875 the property was purchased by Judge James N. Lea from New Orleans who resided there for fifteen years.  R. B. and Annie Mooreman purchased Col Alto from Judge Lea’s widow in 1890.

  The Mooremans kept the property only several years and then sold it to Henry St. George Tucker, an 1876 Washington & Lee School of Law graduate and a Virginia Congressman from 1889 to 1897. Tucker made many improvements to the structure, including the first interior bathroom, an attic stairway and first floor in-house kitchen.

   At his death in 1932, the property was left to his six children.  His daughter, Rosa Tucker Mason, bought the other children’s shares and made Col Alto her home for the next 28 years. Mrs. Mason loved to entertain guests in her home and made many changes to the house to better accommodate them.  She hired New York architect William Lawrence Bottomley to add the exterior guest rooms, porches with circular brick columns and Chinese Chippendale rails. She engaged good friend and first woman graduate of Harvard School of Landscape Architecture, Rose Greeley, to add formal flower gardens, trees and boxwood hedges to enhance the beauty of Col Alto.

   At her death in 1957, the property was bequeathed to W&L University.  For 28 years the property served as student apartments and storage.  W&L decided to sell the property, but Mrs. Mason’s sister, Mrs. Forest Fletcher, asked instead for the house to be returned to her family.  In 1984, Col Alto was returned to the Tucker heirs who then sold it to the current owners who have restored the house to its original splendor and made it a unique part of their Hampton Inn property with ten luxury manor rooms, parlor and guest breakfast area.