DUMBARTON HOUSE RESTORATION

Restoration projects aimed at returning Dumbarton House to the simplicity of its original Federal design were begun in 1931, three years after the property was acquired by The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America. The original roofline had been altered in the early nineteenth century. Alterations most in need of correction had been made in the early years of the twentieth century, when the simplicity of the Federal design was hidden in an applique of Georgian quoins, balustrades and small paned windows.

Under the direction of architect Horace W. Peaslee, with architectural historian Fiske Kimball as consultant, the Georgian appliques were removed, the correct sashes installed, and where necessary, the original window openings were restored. On the second floor of the entrance facade, the original irons for circular balconies were found in the brickwork and the balconies were restored.

Restoration work revealed the beautiful plaster cornices in the hall and the rooms on the west side. The mantels in the house were not originals so they were replaced by mantels of the period. Of particular interest is the mantel in the dining room, which came from the John Marshall House in Marshall Square, and has the frigate Constitution carved on the main panel.

The use of cut and dressed stone as a complement to fine brickwork is a typical feature of Federal houses in the Washington area. Dumbarton House has stone lintels above the windows, a cut stone belt course between the first and second stories, and a stone coping at the water table. The entrance doorways are both topped by arched cut stone openings and fanlights.

The modified hip roof of Dumbarton House may represent a rebuilding of an earlier roofline. Perhaps this roofline was a flat roof with a balustrade, which was in vogue in the late 18th century. Such rooflines were tried at the White House and the Octagon, but they leaked and were replaced with roofs of greater pitch.

The National Society declared Dumbarton House its national headquarters and opened it to the general public as a Federal period house museum in 1932, following its restoration. To celebrate its centennial in 1991, The National Society renovated Dumbarton House under the direction of architect Martin Rosenblum and landscape architect Meade Palmer. The National Society restored features identified over the past six decades, added modern climate control to the house, made it compliant with contemporary building codes, and enlarged the premises, adding meeting spaces and outdoor terraces and gardens that enabled a variety of educational outreach programs and civic, private, and organizational events. Research continues today to further restore Dumbarton House and improve its interpretation and presentation.