Villa Finale: Museum & Gardens

Villa Finale sits atop a low hill in the King William district, identifiable by the tall, limestone-faced mansion and the dense, lush gardens wrapping around it. This three-story Italianate home, built in eighteen seventy-six, served as the final residence for Walter Mathis. A dedicated preservationist, Mathis bought the decaying property in nineteen sixty-seven when the neighborhood was widely considered a lost cause. He spent decades restoring the house and filling it with an expansive collection of fine art, silver, and Napoleonic memorabilia.