Unique DMV Architecture: Then and Now

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by  Realty Group Local Blog

Word on the Streets by RE/MAX Realty Group

 

April 4, 2025

The DMV region encompasses the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. The architecture of this area has significant historical implications, as well as modern-day significance. Over the decades, this area has seen a unique blend of historic and modern-day architectural styles, creating a one-of-a-kind blend that many people travel from all around the world to view. From neoclassical monuments to cutting-edge sustainable contemporary developments, the region’s rich architectural landscape tells a fascinating story of change, preservation, and what’s to come in the future.

Fascinatingly, historical buildings can be transformed over time to keep up with a region’s ever-changing character. The DMV region boasts some of the best preserved examples of Colonial and Federal architecture in the United States. These styles were especially prevalent in the 18th and early 19th centuries and placed emphasis on symmetry, classical proportions and elegance with a side of practicality. Not only do these preserved buildings provide the foundation for the timeless architectural styles found throughout the region, they’re a testament to the birth of the landscape of a nation as we know it.

The Significance of the DMV Region’s Architecture Styles

The rich, complex, and fascinating history of the DMV region has significantly shaped the area’s architectural landscape. From early colonial settlements to modern urban developments, the region has buildings that reflect cultural, political, and economic evolutions over the course of several centuries. The Maryland and Virginia regions were among the first of the English colonies, with Jamestown settling in Virginia in 1607 and St. Mary’s City being established in Maryland in 1634. Architecture at the time could be best defined as Georgian style with brick construction and classical proportions, as well as Plantation Houses and colonial churches with utilitarian designs.

The Federal Period followed from the 1780s through the 1820s when Washington DC was established as the nation’s capital in July of 1790 per The Residence Act. At this time, the DMV became a hub for government institutions and political power — which it remains as to this day. During this period, architectural designs could be defined by the Federal Style and Neoclassical monuments signified by grand columns and domes.

Historical Landmarks Across the DMV

George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Virginia is a plantation home that exemplified Colonial architecture, with striking symmetrical design, a gabled roof and wood-frame construction. The home was built in phases in the mid 1700s and to this day remains a testament to the styles of the time and the reflection of the life of one of America’s founding fathers.

The White House is arguably the most popular historical landmark in the DMV region, having been constructed over the course of eight years, starting in 1792 and finishing in 1800. The landmark is a prime example of Neoclassical architecture, more specifically influenced by the Palladian style. This style drew inspiration from ancient Greece and Rome, with a centralized dome-like structure, grand columns, and balanced proportions.

Tudor Place in DC was finished in 1816 as the home of Thomas and Martha Peter, Martha Washington’s granddaughter. Tudor Place embodied the Federal style with its elegant portico and well-balanced facade. The domed, marble-floored Temple Portico is the most striking architectural feature. Unlike the more common half-round porches attached to exterior walls of many early 19th-century houses, this circular structure extends into the house itself, with floor-to-ceiling windows serving as a transition between interior and exterior spaces. It is the only known full temple portico embedded into a USA residence standing today. The refined detail of the home exhibits the small details and the influence of classical ideals in early American architecture and it stands as a historical testament to the time even today. Throughout the 1800s, the property boasts a beautiful view of the Potomac River. Today, it is obscured by modern day urbanization of the neighborhood and tree canopy.

Read the full article on the Realty Group Local Blog site here

Up in Arms: A Family’s Service

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Vintage engraving portrait of G. Washington Peter c.1810-1820 in military regalia

Portrait of G. Washington Peter c.1810-1820 Engraving (Tudor Place Archive)

TUDOR PLACE TIMES | SUMMER 2024

From the early days of the United States of America through the Korean War, the Peter family proudly served in the armed forces. Through these 150 years, sons, and later daughters, were guided by a strong familial connection and an overall sense of patriotism to serve their country. These military stories are kept alive by the objects they left behind, preserved by later generations of the family.

From the early days of the United States of America through the Korean War, the Peter family proudly served in the armed forces. Through these 150 years, sons, and later daughters, were guided by a strong familial connection and an overall sense of patriotism to serve their country. These military stories are kept alive by the objects they left behind, preserved by later generations of the family.

 

The Beginning: Major G. Washington Peter

G. Washington Peter, born 1779, was the younger brother of Tudor Place’s first owner, Thomas Peter. Early in his life, he had a desire to join the military, running off at just 15 years old to try to join the Maryland troops and help defeat the Whiskey Rebellion. Though
he was sent home by George Washington from the Whiskey Rebellion, it would be through Washington’s recommendation that Washington Peter received his first commission to 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army from President John Adams. While there seems to be no trace of this commission, his later commission to Captain from Thomas Jefferson is well preserved and complements his later letters while he was serving as the commanding officer at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, where he set up the first light artillery unit in the country. After leaving Fort McHenry, he later resigned his commission to protest the sale of his unit’s horses, but his drive for service never stopped. He organized a unit of the Georgetown Militia which was one of very few units to return fire with the British at the Battle of Bladensburg on August 14, 1814 before their march on Washington(1). Though his military service came to a close, George Peter held onto a seating chart from the 19th Congress where he served as a representative from Maryland where he worked alongside prominent future leaders including Sam Houston, James Buchanan and James Polk(2).

Family Tragedy: Captain William G. Williams

Captain William G. Williams found love with America P. Peter, one of the daughters of Thomas and Martha Peter right after he graduated from the Military Academy at West Point in 1824. From there he was assigned as a Topographical Engineer in Buffalo, New York. At the start of the Mexican American War in April 1846, William Williams was under the command of General Zachary Taylor whose unit was brought to Mexico. In September 1846, Taylor’s unit, including Captain Williams, was in Monterrey, Mexico. On September 21, Captain Williams was sent on reconnaissance mission and found himself in an unfortunate position when the Mexican troops started firing from Fort Teneria. General Braxton Bragg explained the story of Captain Williams’ death in a letter that included a map to Captain Williams’ son Laurence Abert Williams in 1854. He wrote in high regard of the Captain at the end of the letter saying “most nobly did he meet his fate, forgetting himself and his suffering when the cause required”(3). Accompanied by his sword, portrait and buttons from his Topographical Engineer Uniform the story of a man who gave his life for the United States at 45 years old resonated and was preserved through the family line.

Women in the War: Agnes Peter and Caroline Peter

In World War I and II, women were not able to serve on the front lines, but many women found ways to contribute to the war effort on the home front. Agnes Peter, Armistead Peter Jr.’s sister, enrolled in a boarding school in Tarrytown, New York which taught her skills like typing, driving and automobile repair. When the program concluded in summer 1918, Agnes was ready to travel to Europe to put her skills to use, but by the time her paperwork arrived, the Armistice had been signed. Yet, Europe still needed help after the war. Since she had all of her paperwork, Agnes traveled to France under the YMCA and helped people and communities there until 1921. Agnes’ passport with its cancellation stamped in 1921 shows her dedication to the work she was doing alongside the ribbons and honors she received for her humanitarian work in France(4). It was women who provided crucial humanitarian work to help countries and families rebuild following the turmoil of war. Agnes might not have been a soldier, but her wartime dedication and passion followed her family legacy of service. Caroline Peter, wife of Tudor Place’s final owner, Armistead Peter 3rd, served in a similar role as a nurse for the American Red Cross during both World War I and World War II(5). She served in these roles at the same time her husband, Armistead Peter 3rd, was serving in the U.S. Navy. As the last private owners of Tudor Place, Caroline and Armistead continued the family legacy of patriotism and service as they both served during those wars. The Peter family, over more than a century, proudly embraced military service and a deep love for their country that was preserved through generations.

– Alex Brandis, Spring 2024 Collections Intern

Source List:
1. MS-4 Finding Aid; Major George Peter Biographical Sketch
2. House of Representatives Seating Map, 19th Congress by A.J. Stansbury 1825 (MS4, Box 3,
Folder 22, Document 3)
3. Braxton Bragg to Laurence Albert Williams Describing the Battle of Monterey, September 24,
1954 (MS12, Box 1, Folder 7)
4. Agnes Peter’s World War I United States Passport, 1918
5. MS-22 Finding Aid; Caroline Ogden-Jones Peter Biographical Sketch

BIOGRAPHY CENTRAL

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Follow archivist and historian Heather Bollinger as she uncovers and reports the lives of enslaved and free people who lived and worked at this National Historic Landmark.
  • Read Patty Allen’s biography here (1770-1831). While enslaved by the Peters at Tudor Place, Patty lived with her free husband off the property. Every day, Patty labored as the cook for the Peter family.
  • Read Ralph Anderson’s biography here (1790-unrecorded). Part of Marta Peter’s inheritance of 48 enslaved people after the death of her grandmother, Martha Washington.
  • Read Stacia Hepburn’s biography here (1801-1895). Anastacia “Stacia” Hepburn was born about 1801, likely in Montgomery County, Maryland, and was enslaved to the Peter family.

Read additional stories of others:

Biography: Ralph Anderson (1790 – unrecorded)

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Follow archivist and historian Heather Bollinger as she uncovers and reports the lives of enslaved and free people who lived and worked at this National Historic Landmark. Ralph Anderson was part of Martha Peter’s inheritance of 48 enslaved people after the death of Martha Washington. Ralph worked at Thomas Peter’s plantation, Seneca Farm, before he self-emancipated in 1910.

Read Ralph Anderson’s biography here.

Biography: Patty Allen (1770-after 1831)

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Follow archivist and historian Heather Bollinger as she uncovers and reports the lives of enslaved and free people who lived and worked at this National Historic Landmark. Patty Allen labored as a cook for the Peter family.  Yet her journey as an enslaved person started long before she came to Tudor Place.  Documents showed at one year old, Patty, was enslaved to John “Jacky” Parke Custis (1754 – 1781), the only son of Martha Washington before she married George Washington. Following Jacky’s father’s death in 1757, under Virginia’s laws concerning intestacy (dying without a will), almost 18,000 acres of land and personal property including about 285 enslaved persons were held in trust for him until he came of age. When his sister died in 1773, Jacky became the sole heir of all that was the Custis estate, including Patty.

 

In recent years, Tudor Place has been substantiating its narrative of enslavement through in-depth research, outreach to descendants and archaeological digs in various places on-site. These fragments represent a history that was mostly erased from the landscape and stands in contrast to the preserved house and intact objects of the Peter family. Piecing these fragments together builds humanity around the individual’s whole life and contributes a more unified narrative of the story of Tudor Place that includes the lives of the enslaved and free people. Tudor Place hopes to instill in visitors an understanding of how the practice of slavery was distinctive in the District of Columbia—and in particular Georgetown where the landscape included enslaved and free, artisans and laborers, differing religions, young and old, so that we may celebrate the triumphs and the complexities of the past to forge a better future.

Read Patty Allen’s biography here:

An inside look into Kiwi artist Peter Waddell whose paintings hang in the White House

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NEWSHUB _ BY MITCH MCCANN

The Defining Day – Peter Waddell

Newshub takes an inside look into Tudor Place Artist-in-Residence Peter Waddell, the Kiwi artist whose paintings hang in the White House.

Read the full article and watch the video here:

Biography: Anastacia “Stacia” Hepburn (1801-1895)

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Follow archivist and historian Heather Bollinger as she uncovers and reports the lives of enslaved and free people who lived and worked at this National Historic Landmark. Stacia Hepburn was an enslaved maid and nurse/nanny who nursed Britannia Peter Kennon’s nephew, Orton, through his bout with typhoid fever in 1847.  A few snippets of her life were recounted by members of the Peter family including Britannia in her reminiscences:

Stacia [took care of me]…Stacia’s sister was named Brythe & another sister whose name was Elizabeth—father [Thomas Peter] gave her to Meck [America, Britannia’s older sister], an excellent nurse. Capt. Williams [America’s husband] ordered to Cape Cod, took her and she ran away.[1]

In recent years, Tudor Place has been substantiating its narrative of enslavement through in-depth research, outreach to descendants and archaeological digs in various places on-site. These fragments represent a history that was mostly erased from the landscape and stands in contrast to the preserved house and intact objects of the Peter family. Piecing these fragments together builds humanity around the individual’s whole life and contributes a more unified narrative of the story of Tudor Place that includes the lives of the enslaved and free people. Tudor Place hopes to instill in visitors an understanding of how the practice of slavery was distinctive in the District of Columbia—and in particular Georgetown where the landscape included enslaved and free, artisans and laborers, differing religions, young and old, so that we may celebrate the triumphs and the complexities of the past to forge a better future.

Read Stacia Hepburn’s biography here.

[1] “Britannia’s Reminiscences, 1895-1900,” in Armistead Peter, Jr. Papers, MS-14, Box 69, Folder 24, and Box 70, Folder 1-3, Tudor Place Manuscript Collection, Tudor Place Historic House & Garden, Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

Additional Resources for “Ancestral Spaces: People of African Descent at Tudor Place.”

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Learn more about the lives and impact of the individuals and families of African descent who lived and worked at Tudor Place.

Tudor Place Resources:

Read biographies of the lives of the enslaved and free people who lived and worked at Tudor Place.

 

 

Read a blog post uncovering the excavation and interpretation of evidence of an enslaved home space in the North Garden.

 

 

Descendants sitting in a semi-circle with Fred Murphy, facilitator, sitting in middle at gallery space at Georgetown University.

Watch a playlist of Tudor Place programs that go into topics covered on Ancestral Spaces, including a conversation with descendants, a look at the life of Samuel Collins and the processes Tudor Place is undertaking to interpret the lives of enslaved individuals.

Read an interview between Karl Haynes, a descendant of John Luckett, and Tudor Place Curator Rob DeHart.

 

 

In The News:

Listen to an interview with Tudor Place Executive Director Mark Hudson on the City Cast DC podcast, introducing the special installation and guided tour.

 

Read an article from The Washington Informer revealing more about Ancestral Spaces and the descendants who collaborated with Tudor Place to put it together.

 

Watch an Instagram highlight collection including social media coverage of the special installation and guided tour.

Archaeological Evidence of an Enslaved Home Space

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by Ianna Recco, Collections Manager

Excavation area located on the north side of the property and east of the center walk. Dovetail Cultural Resource Group, 2022.

In 2013 and 2022, archaeological excavations were undertaken on the grounds of Tudor Place to determine if a dwelling used by enslaved individuals once stood on the site. Architectural and domestic artifacts from a 2010 survey marked the Orchard as a potential point of interest. Subsequent excavation and analysis in the area supported the conjecture that a building likely stood on the site due to the presence of ceramics, food remains, personal objects and a probable root cellar. Certain artifacts and architectural features consistent with surveys of other enslaved home spaces in the region suggest that enslaved individuals lived in and used the space. Ceramicware analysis indicates that the structure stood from the first half of the 19th century until shortly after the Civil War.

It was likely a timber-framed brick building that served as a multi-use workspace and home space. Abutting the central driveway of Tudor Place, its placement and proximity to the Peter family’s house would have been advantageous to them to exercise constant surveillance. The archaeological record suggests the building was abandoned shortly after the Civil War, demolished and erased from the memory of the Tudor Place landscape like thousands of other enslaved dwellings in the region.

These structures were built on foundations of bondage and oppression while at the same time, were homes where culture, community and family bonds persevered. Although they were constantly under the gaze of the Peter family, these were spaces where enslaved people defiantly fostered a sense of community. In her analysis of enslaved home spaces, archaeologist Whitney Battle-Baptiste incorporates bell hooks’s concept of homeplace to determine that “the lives of enslaved Africans were structured by racism, sexism, and oppression. As such, the solace of a place called home takes on an added dimension for the daughters and sons of slavery. It provided a place to regroup, to find the strength to resist.”[1]

On the enduring significance of these spaces, Battle-Baptiste writes that they were “the epicenter of Black cultural production.”[2] Archaeological evidence at Tudor Place suggests that enslaved individuals exercised their agency in these spaces with culturally significant activities like cooking, dining, gardening and recreation. The variety of ceramic fragments archaeologists uncovered indicates that food was central to activities in the space. Numerous terracotta flowerpot fragments were found suggesting that people were either gardening to supplement their diets or were raising plants for the garden at Tudor Place.

They were likely using stoneware and earthenware vessels for food storage and preparation. Archaeologists found a fragment of low-fired, locally produced earthenware and tentatively identified it as Colonoware, a style of unglazed ceramicware frequently created by Black artists using ancestral African methods.[3] Oyster shells, butchered bone fragments and fish scales were identified, revealing clues about cuisine. Archaeobotanical analysis also determined the presence of a carbonized Amaranthus seed, a valued food plant in many African and diasporic communities. From growing seedlings to serving meals, the archaeological evidence shows that these individuals invested time and care in their diets.

Among the personal objects excavated were a pipe and toothbrush fragment, small testaments of someone’s daily habits and routines.
Dovetail Cultural Resource Group, 2022.

Whereas food-related artifacts tell us about the community practices of enslaved people, personal objects unearthed can tell us more about the people as individuals. Several intimate artifacts were discovered in what may be a dug cellar or subfloor pit, a feature commonly found in association with enslaved dwellings. In an analysis of subfloor pits in Virginia, archaeologist Patricia Samford hypothesizes that they were a shared cultural practice to store food and personal or valuable items and that some were potential shrine spaces that evoked ancestral West African religious practices. Among the artifact assemblage in the pit, archaeologists discovered a blue-green bead, an object commonly found at sites of enslavement that scholars believe may have represented a collective belief system and practice. Enslaved individuals often wore glass beads, especially blue and green ones, as a form of self-adornment and potentially as charms to protect and promote wellbeing.

Fragments of containers and flowerpots demonstrate how people thoughtfully prepared for the future by storing food and cultivating plants in this location. Dovetail Cultural Resource Group, 2022.

In addition, archaeologists uncovered two clay smoking pipe bowls, one of which features a molded crown design. From these objects, we can glean what people may have worn to express their individuality and what recreational activities they partook in when they had a moment to themselves. Although this home space was demolished and forgotten long ago, the stories contained within it and the greater landscape of Tudor Place continue to unfold as the legacy of its enslaved community persists.   

[1] Whitney Battle-Baptiste, ““In This Here Place”: Interpreting Enslaved Homeplaces,” in Archaeology of Atlantic Africa and the African Diaspora, ed. Akinwumi Ogundiran and Toyin Falola (Bloomington: Indiana University, 2007), 235. For bell hooks’s conceptualization of homeplace, see bell hooks, “Homeplace (a site of resistance),” in Yearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural Politics (Boston: South End, 1990), 41-49.

[2] Battle Baptiste, “In this Here Place,” 233.

[3] To learn more about Colonoware, see the Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery at https://www.daacs.org/galleries/colonoware/.

 

 

Sources

Battle-Baptiste, Whitney. “In This Here Place”: Interpreting Enslaved Homeplaces.” In Archaeology of Atlantic Africa and the African Diaspora, edited by Akinwumi Ogundiran and Toyin Falola, 233-248. Bloomington: Indiana University, 2007.

Lee, Lori. “Beads, Coins, and Charms at a Poplar Forest Slave Cabin (1833-1858).” Northeast Historical Archaeology 40.1 (2011).

Pogue, Dennis & Sanford, Douglas. Housing for the Enslaved in Virginia. (2020, December 07). In Encyclopedia Virginia. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/slave-housing-in-virginia.

Samford, Patricia. Subfloor pits and the archaeology of slavery in Colonial Virginia. University of Alabama Press, 2007.

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Britannia and Armistead: Generations of Stewardship

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Armistead Peter 3rd pushing Great Grandmother Britannia Wellington Peter Kennon in wheelchair c.1910. C34

by Mark Hudson, Executive Director

Born over eighty years apart, Britannia and Armistead shared a bond that was expressed in their correspondences and the memories he shared in his 1969 book, Tudor Place. It was a bond not only of affection, but of intention—with both committed to preserving Tudor Place for future generations.

Read full article here.

 

 

 

 

 

Armistead and Britannia c. 1910