New exhibition In Yorktown honors beloved restaurateurs Nick and Mary Mathews
John Wayne dined there. So did Elizabeth Taylor. As did a host of dignitaries and notable faces during the more than five decades that Nick’s stood as a landmark on the Yorktown waterfront, immediately recognizable by its iconic midcentury façade and signage.
But it’s the two local legends behind Nick’s Seafood Pavilion, Nick and Mary Mathews, who are being honored with a new exhibition at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. Patrons & Patriots: The Legacy of Nick and Mary Mathews opened in March and will be on display through July 27, celebrating the lives of the late restaurateurs known for their work in the hospitality industry and as philanthropists and devoted patriots who embodied the American dream.
Natives of Greece who emigrated to the United States, Nick and Mary Mathews met in New York City and were married in 1942. The couple later moved to Yorktown, where they opened a lunch counter in 1944 that would become Nick’s Seafood Pavilion, a fine dining establishment known around Virginia and beyond for its seafood and elaborate interior, its gracious owners and their strong community connections.
Nick’s famously offered free meals to uniformed servicemembers, and Mary was elected by the American government as the first Greek American to sponsor a U.S. warship, the U.S.S. Yorktown. She christened the ship on April 16, 1983, and later arranged for the ship’s commissioning at the Naval Weapons Station Yorktown on July 4, 1984.
On the eve of America’s 1976 Bicentennial, the Mathews generously donated the land for the Yorktown Victory Center, now known as the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. Millions of museum visitors have benefited from the legacy of their gift, learning about the ideals and freedoms of the American Revolution and the significance of the Siege of Yorktown to secure American independence.
The new story-driven exhibition showcases artifacts and images reflecting the couple’s personal lives and professional successes and rare objects that defined their iconic restaurant. The exhibition is supported in part by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc and is among an ongoing series of events in Virginia tied to America’s 250th anniversary, which will be officially marked on July 4, 2026.
Learn more at jyfmuseums.org/patrons-and-patriots.
