Evolution of the Mansion Video
A short video created by the Montpelier Foundation and Partsense, Inc that shows the evolution of the Montpelier Mansion through the three Madison family construction periods. The first period shows the circa 1765 Georgian house that was built by President Madison’s father (James Madison Senior). The second period includes the circa 1797 additions that were added by President Madison when he returned to Montpelier with Dolley after serving the House of Representatives. The last phase dates to circa 1812 and illustrates the changes Madison made to the Mansion after he was elected president in 1808.
A series of photographs showing the deconstruction of the circa 1901 duPont additions to reveal the circa 1812 appearance of Montpelier.
October 19, 2007 at 5:45 am
Pity I liked the house better when it had a Georgian façade before that Greek revival portico was added It really looks too large for the original structure to me.
November 7, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Michael,
The period I house (built in circa 1765) is the classic shape for an upper class mid-century colonial Virginia brick dwelling. Its stripped down facade (without the belt courses, elaborate door surrounds and quoins seen on more elaborate examples) reflects is frontier context and gives it a simple, restrained appearance. You can see similar designs at both Salubria in Culpeper county (http://germanna.org/salubria.html) and Kenmore in Fredericksburg (http://www.kenmore.org/). Both of of these houses are open to the public.
The Roman influenced Tuscan portico was added in 1797 and, according to Virginia’s State Architectural Historian Calder Loth, is one of the first of these monumental porticoes to be applied to a house in Virginia (the 1788 Virginia State Capital has an earlier example). It unified Montpelier’s expanded facade and helps to mark the beginning of the classical revival style and its British Palladian influenced designs in Virginia.
Take care and thanks for the comment,
Gardiner
February 3, 2008 at 9:01 am
I am so glad to see this historic home restored to its original beauty, I was last there in July 2001 before the restoration and the red and chrome room was awful. Also to walk through the kitchen and be told it was once Dolley Madison’s bedroom was just wrong. Thank you for redoing this beautiful home.
February 6, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Karen,
Thank you for the positive feedback on the restoration. We also think the project is restoring a wonderful house. Also, having the interior and exterior of James Madison’s home restored will allow us to provide visitors with an unparalleled opportunity to learn about one of the nation’s greatest statesman and political thinkers. As for the red and chrome room, it was actually found to be one of the most distinctive rooms in the duPont Montpelier (and very representative of the design ideals when it was constructed in the 1930s). In order to preserve such an interesting space, it has been reconstructed in the newly opened duPont gallery in the Montpelier Visitor Center.
Take care and thanks again,
Gardiner
February 13, 2008 at 11:31 pm
I am so glad the restoration is taking place. How can you tour Madisons home when it wasn’t anything like it was in his life time? We have visited many times to watch the progress and are looking forward to the when the project is completed. My hat goes off to all who have helped in this . Thank you not only for myself but for future generations!
March 12, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Barbara,
We couldn’t agree more and it’s been exciting to watch James Madison’s home re-emerge as the restoration progressed.
Take care and make sure you make it back on September 17th for the grand opening,
Gardiner
March 12, 2008 at 9:34 pm
I’ve had the opportunity to visit the home twice, and it’s thrilling to see the Madison’s home emerging from beneath the Gilded Age additions. The structure that’s been revealed is a gorgeous home, one what will allow an exciting interpretation of the life and work of our nation’s least-know founding father. Congratulations to the entire restoration team for their dedication and perseverance. Huzzah!!
March 13, 2008 at 9:54 am
BC,
Thanks for the kind words and we feel the same way. As the father of the Constitution, Madison is one of the key figures in American history and having his home restored will provide an unprecedented opportunity to interpret his life as well as the living legacy of the US Constitution.
Take care,
Gardiner
March 16, 2008 at 10:23 am
The restoration of Montpelier was unknown to me until the “Sunday Morning” program with Charles Osgood piece today. I am delighted to know of the survival of Madison’s home and its on-going restoration. Many congratulations on your discoveries and the attention to historical detail so obvious in the photos at this site.
What a monumental undertaking! The house had been altered significantly by the duPonts and to do the necessary sleuthing to bring it back to the Madison occupancy is impressive indeed.
Can you tell me the period you’re focusing on? From what I see it appears to be roughly 1820. Most of the chair rails and some of the mouldings I see in the photos suggest that period. Also - have any of the dependency buildings from the Madison era survived?
Again - WELL DONE!! I’ll be planning a visit this year.
March 16, 2008 at 11:10 am
We were there in Sept 2006. I was so pleased to see the many wonderful changes. Definitely plan to come back when the work is completed. Imagine a little girl in Texas reading about Dolly 50 years ago, and then getting to go to Dolly’s home. (I think her biography was one of the first I read.) I was so excited to be there just to be walking where she did, etc was a thrill. Now to get to go back to see the home fully restored is one of my goals! Can’t wait to see it in person!
March 19, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Richard,
Thanks for the encouragement and you have a good eye for architectural details. Our restoration period is the 1820s (Madison’s retirement period after his second presidential term) and much of the trim you see dates to the third construction period (circa 1812). However, one of the great aspects of Montpelier is that the house was originally constructed in c. 1765 and then enlarged twice (in c. 1797 and c. 1812) and we have architectural features surviving from all three periods. The evolution of trim work during the three periods is clearly visible (especially when comparing the trim from the 1765 and the 1812 periods) and we hope to one day have architectural tours that highlight these differences.
Thanks again and definitely stop by and see the house for yourself.
Take care,
Gardiner
March 19, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Cheryl,
Dolley was a great lady and as we get closer to finishing the restoration we will be spending more time on the tour highlighting her role in the new republic and at Montpelier. We are also very excited to see the Mansion reemerge and its been great to see the grade on the front be restored back to its Madison-period level this past week.
Take care and make sure to join us for the grand opening on September 17th,
Gardiner
March 28, 2008 at 5:21 pm
I was also at the house around 10 years ago and was very unhappy with what was done to this home. I came back in Oct. of last year and was so happy to see what you have done. It really is a marvel at what is being done. I will be back soon to seen the progress. I wrote to Martha Stewart at her TV show. The restoration would be a great segement on her show.
April 2, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Rose,
It’s always great to hear from people who saw the house before the restoration and during. We are progressing very quickly and you should see some major progress compared to last October (almost all of the rooms are plastered and our painters are working hard to get the trim painted). We’d also love to have Ms. Stewart out here and she would definitely find the restoration worthy of her show.
Take care,
Gardiner
April 22, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Gardiner,
I was very fortunate to have grown up near Montpelier. From 1958 till 1969 I Lived only a mile away. I knew Mr. & .Mrs. Hasting that ran the farm store there on Rt. 20. Had lots of friends that worked for Mrs. Scott in those days. Mr. Tommy Southard was the farm manager and his son Grant worked for my father in his TV shop in Orange. Dwight Southard was Mrs. Scott’s chauffer/Driver. I knew Mrs. Scott and had been in many parts of the house as a young adult. (in my teens).
To see what has been done is, in my mind, incredible! I’ve stopped by several times to view the project and it totally blows me away. We even came by last year with several of my friends in our Corvette club. I wished they had seen the Old Mansion the way I’ve seen it back in the sixties. Every year our family went to the November Hunt Races and I remember just looking at the Old Mansion up on the hill with all of it’s beauty. To see it today, words cannot express the feelings I have. The team of people that have taken on the restoration project are to be commended to the highest level. I have met and talked with one of the architects and several of the folks doing the diggings and studies of the grounds around the house. Just totally unbelievable! I had absolutely no idea the brick was under all that stucco. I always thought the old copper roof was beautiful but to see what it was like in the Madison days make you think it was terrible what the Scotts did to it.
In closing, I just wanted to commend you and the team on what a great job you are doing and I’m sure that Mr. James Madison, his father, and the whole family are looking down and thinking, “Great Job!” I’m looking forward to visiting again when it’s finished.
Thank you for your time and efforts!
Dan Hager
April 29, 2008 at 8:57 pm
A friend of mine with Colonial Williamsburg (now with MESDA) strongly suggested I visit Montpelier, especially while the restoration was in progress. He couldn’t have given me better advice…I’ve visited several times and have nothing but praise for the work there since 2001. My comments echo the thoughts of others regarding the quality of the research and workmanship, as well as the brilliant decision to allow the public to view the entire restoration process. I spread the word every chance I get.
Like Michael above, I find myself particularly attracted to the Period I house, with some interest in Period II. I noticed, on one visit, the alteration in size of the second story windows (actually appear to have been made shorter and wider), no doubt a result of the work in the 1809-1812 period, and I should think a purely aesthetic change. I wonder if enough of the brick fabric (closers, etc.) remains to determine the exact size of the 1764 windows, upstairs and downstairs.
Thanks for the video and thanks for the tremendous commitment to excellence in the entire restoration process. I trust the public will be well served for decades to come.
John Montague
Raleigh, NC
April 30, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Dan,
It’s great to hear from someone who knew the Mansion during Mrs. duPont’s time. We are also about to restore the old train station found across from the Farm store (although the building is almost untouched and will need very little actual restoration) and it would be great to talk with you about your memories of the building. We are going to move the Post Office to the freight area and use the old waiting rooms and station master’s office as an exhibit space showcasing the history of the building and the Jim Crow era in Orange County. If you are interested in talking with us, Tom Chapman in the Collections department would be the best person to contact.
Take care and thanks again for your comment,
Gardiner
April 30, 2008 at 5:24 pm
John,
One of the great aspects (architecturally at least) of Montpelier is that you can clearly see the evolution of Virginia’s architecture from its initial construction date of circa 1764 through to circa 1812. That’s only a 48 year time span, but the changes are still remarkable shows how quickly trends and styles changed even in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Your also right that almost all the windows were altered in the period III renovations. We have also found enough evidence in the bricks to develop elevations that show what the windows would have looked like during the first and second periods. Briefly we found that the windows were the same width as the existing windows in period I, but a little shorter (they also featured 12 over 12 sashes on the first floor and 8 over 12’s on the second). The windows for the period II house were narrower then the period I windows and had more common 9 over 9 sashes on the first floor and 6 over 9’s on the second). We also agree that the change was almost purely aesthetic and was done to unify the facade and update the windows to reflect the current fashion.
We are also using the new information on the windows (along with other features of the Period I and II houses, such as missing porches and shutters) to update the 3d video. The talented modelers at UVA’s Institute of Advance Technology in the Humanities (www.http://www.iath.virginia.edu/) are currently working on the new video and we should have it ready for the grand opening on September 17th.
I’ll also put up the period I and II elevations (along with our current thoughts on the floors plans) for you all to see this week or next.
Take care and thanks again for the great comment,
Gardiner
Gardiner
May 1, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Gardiner,
We look forward to seeing the elevations and floor plans for Period I and II! Thanks so much.
John M.