Historic House Tour: The Alders

The Alders is one of Norfolk’s grandest estates. Built in 1898 to a design by Ehrick Rossiter, who also designed the Yale Norfolk Music Shed and the tower on Haystack Mountain, the Alders features stunning architectural details including intricate cherry woodwork, majestic Moorish arches, 20 stained glass windows, unique tile and wood fireplace mantels and many more period details. Take a virtual tour of this grand estate and learn about Charles Spofford, the wealthy New Yorker who commissioned Rossiter to build the Alders and brought Gilded Age opulence to Norfolk. Spofford was the son of the country’s sixth Librarian of Congress and played a key role in the industrial revolution as a railroad magnate. He also founded companies with Thomas Edison to bring public transportation and electricity to towns and cities across the United States.