Director Leslie Buhler to Retire, Leaving Tudor Place Strengthened

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January 22, 2015

Knot Garden with Arbor by Ron Blunt

Knot Garden and Grape Arbor [CREDIT: Ron Blunt Photography]

A Change in Leadership

Leslie L. Buhler has announced she will retire as Executive Director of Tudor Place at the end of June 2015 after 15 years of transformational leadership. Since 2000, Leslie created on the historic site an engaging and educational modern museum serving a diverse audience of Washington-area residents, visitors to the nation’s capital, and a worldwide digital audience. A professional search for her successor is underway.

Executive Director Leslie BuhlerTudor Place was completed in 1816 by Thomas Peter and his wife Martha Custis Peter, a granddaughter of Martha Washington, and is noted for its architecture, archive, and extensive collections, including more than 200 items owned by Martha and George Washington. Now a National Historic Landmark on five and a half acres in Georgetown, the estate had been open to the public 12 years when Leslie took the helm. Her innovations and accomplishments included establishing regular tour hours and appropriate zoning as a permanent museum; building a rich schedule of education programs; undertaking archaeological explorations into the site’s past; and transferring many museum operations outside of the historic house so it could be properly preserved and interpreted.

“I’ve experienced great professional and personal satisfaction in advancing one of the greatest house museums in the nation’s capital, bringing attention to the extraordinary collection and archive it holds, and engaging the public with wonderful historic and cultural resources unique to Tudor Place,” Leslie said. “I look forward to the next chapter in my life knowing that the museum is stronger and poised to successfully complete a capital campaign to ensure its future as a 21st century museum.”

Assessing, Repairing, Readying for the Future

scaffold on South Facade
When Leslie came to Tudor Place, it badly needed repair and restoration. First tackling deferred maintenance and undertaking studies to assess restoration needs, she led a forward-thinking effort to develop a Master Preservation Plan to secure all the site’s historic and cultural assets. A first phase of work on the National Historic Landmark house was funded by a $3.5-million campaign funded in part by awards from Save America’s Treasures and the D.C. Government. In addition, Leslie advanced conservation of the landscape, collection, and archive and also built a strong, competent staff charged with continuing the museum’s momentum.

“Tudor Place has benefited enormously from Leslie’s outstanding leadership and engagement with the community,” said Geoffrey B. Baker, President of the Board of Trustees. “She has led the institution through a major assessment and planning process and developed an educational component that engages young and old with the powerful lessons of American history and culture. It is with profound gratitude that we wish Leslie well.”

Building Audiences, Collections, and the Institution

2 students with shardFrom early in her tenure, Leslie made it a priority to increase and diversify the visitor pool while enlarging the museum’s core supporters, and she broadened the museum’s reach into the local community through a lively education program. These efforts substantially increased visits by Washington-area children, families, young adults, and seniors. The dynamic school program introduced under her leadership now reaches 3,000 children each year.

Augmenting the collection, Peter family members gave several significant gifts during Leslie’s tenure. These include a collection of rare books from the original library of Martha and Thomas Peter and a William G. Webster pocket watch that Martha and George Washington gave Eleanor Calvert upon her marriage to Martha Washington’s son, John Parke Custis.

Leslie’s contributions also include judicious management in expanding the museum’s budget, increasing reserve funds, and raising monies from private and public sources to increase the capacity of the museum’s conservation, education and outreach programs.
Thank you for your support of Tudor Place.

Holidays Through History Open House | Saturday, December 6, 2014

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Tudor Place Recognized with National Award for Preservation and Collections Care

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT
May 21, 2014 Communications Officer Mandy Katz
202.486.7645 | mkatz@tudorplace.org

The Tudor Place Foundation has been honored with the 2014 Ross Merrill Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections at Tudor Place Historic House & Garden. The award, established in 1999, is presented jointly by Heritage Preservation and the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC). Recipients are selected by a panel of distinguished preservation and conservation experts from across the nation.

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Curator Erin Kuykendall and specialist Mark Adler preserved and made minor repairs to an 1804 Broadwood & Son pianoforte.

The Ross Merrill award recognizes the systematic and strategic work of Tudor Place over the years to preserve and care for all its historic and cultural assets belonging to the National Historic Landmark. Since it assumed ownership of Tudor Place in 1984 from its last private owner, the Foundation has committed itself to inventorying, cataloguing, assessing, and conserving its historic and cultural assets – the buildings, object collection, archive, book collection, and landscape – and expanded its collections staff from one person to three. In recent years, significant effort has enabled a comprehensive Master Preservation Plan that will permit the public’s engagement with the museum’s assets while also protecting them.

Conservation-02

Conservator Greg Byrne and Erin Kuykendall compare X-radiographs and a wax figure from a tableau created for Martha Washington. Additional funding is sought to complete this significant project.

“It is an honor to see the often quiet work of many years recognized with this highly coveted award,” Executive Director Leslie Buhler said. “Heritage Preservation and the AIC are internationally renowned for their work to preserve our country’s cultural resources. We are gratified to see Tudor Place recognized for its contributions toward that goal.”

Tudor Place has clearly demonstrated its commitment to protecting, preserving, maintaining, and interpreting its historic property and collections. Beginning in 1990 with a Conservation Assessment Program grant, the museum has methodically assessed its holdings.  From 2004 to 2011 alone, the organization solicited the help of more than a dozen conservation professionals to assess the condition of its collections. In addition, staff are tasked with conducting a detailed condition assessment of every object on display annually.

The museum’s dedication to better understanding its collections has allowed it to identify deliberate short and long-range conservation goals and priorities. This attentiveness has also served as the impetus for the museum’s comprehensive polices and plans throughout the years from the implementation of an integrated pest management plan in 1996 to improved environmental monitoring in 2007. In fact, in 2008 Tudor Place created a Master Preservation Plan that outlines clear goals for the site and primacy on preservation best practices.

Jennifer A. Zemanek, a textile conservator who worked with Tudor Place on conserving a 1783 shell and waxwork tableau, commended the board’s and staff’s “…enthusiasm, patience and diligence in tackling this very complex conservation project, ultimately making decisions that exemplify Tudor Place’s absolute dedication to the preservation and conservation of its collections.”

The award committee was also impressed by the museum’s conservation-focused outreach activities both for its own staff and the general public. Tudor Place’s collections team—which has grown from one staff member to three since 2000—works collaboratively with all departments to inform staff of preventive steps they can take to ensure events, tours, and educational programs do not harm the grounds, house, or collections. Through newsletters, public reports, and programs, the general public is also informed of the museum’s conservation efforts.

“The Museum’s sustained commitment to issues of preservation is truly impressive,” said Lawrence L. Reger, Heritage Preservation president. “I, along with AIC, applaud the Tudor Place for its achievements and commend both its board and staff for their tireless efforts.”

The Ross Merrill Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections will be presented during a ceremony at Tudor Place Historic House and Garden on Wednesday, June 18.

The Award

The Ross Merrill Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections has been presented on an annual basis since 1999. Previous recipients include nationally prominent organizations such as Colonial Williamsburg and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and smaller institutions such as the Historical Society of Frederick Country (Maryland) and Maymont Foundation (Richmond, Virginia). In 2012, the Alaska State Museum and the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame received the award. The Indianapolis Museum of Art was also a recipient of the 2013 award.

About AIC

The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works is the national membership organization of conservation professionals dedicated to preserving the art and historic artifacts of our cultural heritage for future generations. AIC plays a crucial role in establishing and upholding professional standards, promoting research and publications, providing educational opportunities, and fostering the exchange of knowledge among conservators, allied professionals, and the public. Learn more about AIC at www.conservation-us.org.

About Heritage Preservation

Heritage Preservation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving our nation’s heritage. Its members include museums, libraries, archives, and other organizations concerned with saving the past for the future. Learn more about Heritage Preservation at www.heritagepreservation.org.

Presentation of the award will take place at a reception at Tudor Place on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. Attendees will include many of the several dozen conservators, advisors, donors, staff, and past employees who have contributed to conserving and preserving Tudor Place’s assets.

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Download This! Woodturning and Artisanry Featured at Free Georgetown Festival

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woodturner demonstrations

Woodturners will demonstrate at Tudor Place, Saturday.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

contact: Mandy Katz Washington DC 20007
cellphone: 202.486.7645
office:202.965.0400
email: mkatz@tudorplace.org

WASHINGTON, DC – Don’t expect flat screens or Google Glass at the free public festival in Georgetown this Saturday, March 29, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. In fact, protective goggles may be the only unusual eyewear on hand at the first Tudor Place Tree Fest, on the grounds of Tudor Place Historic House & Garden. The outdoor, rain-or-shine event celebrates the tree canopy and open space in the city and introduces a just planted “future old-growth” tree, a white oak.

The schedule features active, person-to-person experiences like mini garden tours, nature-oriented puppet shows and craft projects for children, artisan demonstrations, and a Market Fair featuring locally made handicrafts and food. Tours of the historic house will also be available, at the usual entry price. (The full schedule can be viewed here. Puppetry and crafts will be moved indoors in the event of rain.)

Also expect demonstrations of lathe work by local woodturners from the Montgomery County and Chesapeake Woodturners clubs. In May 2013, several of them salvaged heavy trunk pieces from a towering 200-year-old oak in the museum’s North Garden that had to be felled due to disease. (The newly planted tree replaces it.) In the woodturners’ hands, this “dead” wood received new life in stunning bowls, bottle stoppers, and other pieces, some of which will be on view Saturday.

 

wood bowl

Bowl by Don Van Ryk from the Tudor Place white oak.

“It means a lot to see such beauty come from what started as a sad event – the loss of a tree that lived through the change from a port to a thriving neighborhood,” explained Tudor Place Director of Education and Visitor Services Talia Mosconi. “The woodturners are keeping an ancient craft alive, and it’s fascinating to see how they do it.”

The bowls reflect not just skilled craftsmanship, but the artists’ ability to find refined beauty in raw and rough-hewn pieces, often turning irregularities or “blemishes” in the wood into distinctive features of a crafted piece. Bowls from the Tudor Place white oak are on sale now and during the Tree Fest from the Museum Shop. The demonstrating wood turners will have additional hand-crafted pieces available for purchase during the festival.

 

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Tudor Place Receives $100,000 Matching Grant from DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities

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Tudor Place South Facade
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE &#183 Feb. 26, 2014
Contact Mandy Katz
mkatz@tudorplace.org
202.486.7645

WASHINGTON, DC: In recognition of its important role in making historic resources available to residents of all eight wards of the District, the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities has awarded Tudor Place Historic House & Garden a $100,000 matching grant for 2014 to maintain and restore critical infrastructure. The project, which requires Tudor Place to raise an equal amount, is funded in part by the DCAH, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The grant and matching funds will help Tudor Place continue serving local students and residents as well as visitors to the Capital City and protecting valuable artistic and cultural collections.  It includes replacement of a late 19th-century roof, repointing of a brick structure, and restoration painting of the exterior woodwork on the National Historic Landmark house, which welcomes over 20,000 visitors a year.

“It is one thing to make the case for splashy restoration projects the public sees every day,” commented Tudor Place Executive Director Leslie Buhler, “but the kind of long-term preservation and maintenance covered by this grant are no less essential. We applaud DCAH for supporting the literal foundations of an impressive historic resource in our city.”

   better horizon. pic stitch

Tudor Place Historic House & Garden, a 5-½-acre estate in the city’s Georgetown neighborhood, is a 501(c)3 non-profit serving schools and residents from across the District.  The National Historic Landmark house is a unique testament to our city’s past, described by the U.S Commission on Fine Arts as, “without doubt, the most significant early 19th-century residence in Washington.” The site serves over 3,000 D.C. students annually, the majority of them in Title I schools.

In addition to providing enriching field trips, Tudor Place offers public programs in history and culture; sponsors historic and archeological research into the economy, labor, and demographic history of D.C.’s free and enslaved residents; and hosts professional development workshops for over 350 teachers annually. The historic site connects the public to American history through the personal experiences of those who lived and worked on the estate and encourages all people to know their own stories and recognize their roles in shaping history.
1644 31st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007

Home for the Holidays in DC? FOUR Historic Homes Welcome You!

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Press Contact:

Communications Officer

Mandy Katz, mkatz@tudorplace.org

202.965.0400

Website: www.tudorplace.org

Tudor Place Historic House and Garden

1644 31st Street NW

Washington, DC 2007

Download the PDF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 17, 2012

Washington, D.C. – October 17, 2012 — Four museum neighbors will open their doors to
celebrate the season with a special “Holidays through History” multi-house tour on Saturday,
December 14, from four o’clock until eight o’clock in the evening. Advance tickets are now on
sale for the event, which includes Dupont Circle’s Anderson House and The President Woodrow Wilson House, and their Georgetown neighbors, Dumbarton House and Tudor Place Historic House and Garden.

The public is invited to experience these four privately-owned historic house museums – all on
the U.S. Register of Historic Places and three designated National Historic Landmarks – fully
decked out for the holidays. Guests can stroll the mansions’ historic rooms, delight in the
ambiance of festive period decorations, enjoy music that will interpret traditional holiday
celebrations from the Federal period through the Roaring Twenties, and sample seasonal treats.

At Anderson House, a grand Beaux-Arts mansion completed in 1905, visitors will learn about Gilded Age Christmas traditions at the turn of the 20th century through the eyes of Ambassador Larz and Isabel Anderson, one of the era’s most distinguished couples. Visitors are invited to stroll through the festively decorated house, where each room will present a different theme—including decorations, gift giving, entertaining and charity. Traditional holiday music will be performed live throughout the evening. Light refreshments inspired by the Gilded Age period will be served in the Winter Garden. Guests will also have the opportunity to view the exhibition Remembering the Revolutionaries: Heroes of the Revolutionary War in American Culture, 1783-1863 (through March 1, 2014). Anderson House is located at 2118 Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest.

Dumbarton House, built circa 1800 on the heights of Georgetown, is a fine example of Federal period architecture. The home will be decorated in elegant and simple Federal-period style with greenery and an elaborate dining table where Joseph Nourse, first register of the U.S. Treasury, and his wife Maria entertained guests. The formal Parlor will come alive with music of the period performed by musicians from The Friday Morning Music Club. Our newest exhibit “Five Generations of Nourse Family Artists” will be on view, bringing this honored family tradition into the 21st century. Guests will be invited to partake of light refreshments and crafts in the contemporary Belle Vue Room ballroom. Dumbarton House is located at 2715 Q Street, Northwest.

Tudor Place Historic House and Garden, an elegant neoclassical house dating to 1816, inaugurates a change this season, blending tradition and 21st-century flair. Through six generations, the Peter family celebrated their heritage here while also embracing contemporary art and fashion. For the first time, in 2013, the museum imagines how they might have decorated for a contemporary Christmas, blending heirloom spaces and collections with modern style, in winter greenery, ribbons and bows, and the sparkle of lights and color. Visitors are invited to stroll through the mansion while listening to enchanting holiday music performed by Seraphim. Family fun continues with children’s craft activities and light refreshments. Tudor Place is located at 1644 31st Street, Northwest.

The President Woodrow Wilson House, was the final home of our twenty-eighth President. Furnished as it was in Wilson’s time, the fashionable 1915 house just off Embassy Row is a living textbook of modern American life in the 1920s—from sound recordings to silent films, from flapper dresses to zinc sinks. A splendid ten-foot tree, heavily adorned with electric lights, will fill the solarium and radiate through the Palladian window at the top of the foyer stairs. Guests will have the opportunity to explore the main museum rooms, decorated in the style of the 1920s, and visit the craft table to make their own ornaments. Woodrow Wilson House is located at 2340 S Street, Northwest.

The tour can be easily walked. Complimentary shuttle bus transportation will also be provided
for all ticketed guests, with frequent shuttles among the sites from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

ADMISSION: Entry to all four sites is $16 in advance and $20 at the door; children aged 17 and younger are ten dollars ($10) each. Admission to one museum only (adults or children) is $10. Admission for the museums’ members is complimentary.

Tickets may be purchased at https://holidaysthroughhistory2013.eventbrite.com/

For additional information, please contact:

  • Anderson House, 202-785-2040
  • Dumbarton House, 202-337-2288
  • Tudor Place Historic House and Garden, 202-965-0400
Located in Georgetown’s Historic District, this National Historic Landmark is a house museum distinguished for its neoclassical architecture, decorative arts collection, and five-and-a-half acre garden. Built in 1816, it was home to Thomas Peter and his wife, Martha Custis Peter, granddaughter of Martha Washington. It housed six generations of the Peter family over the course of 180 years. Now, open to the public, the historic home is one of our nation’s hidden gems. For details visit www.tudorplace.org

– Woodrow Wilson House, 202-387-4062

With Loss of 220-Year-Old White Oak, Tudor Place Re-Invests in Old-Growth Canopy

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Press Contact:
Communications Officer
Mandy Katz, mkatz@tudorplace.org
202.965.0400
Website: www.tudorplace.org
Tudor Place Historic House and Garden
1644 31st Street NW
Washington, DC 2007

Download the PDF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2013

Planting the tall trees of tomorrow today

Washington, D.C. – May 9, 2013 — Chainsaws and a 75-ton crane will arrive in the Tudor Place North Garden Monday morning, May 12, to remove a white oak tree looming more than 100 feet tall that may have taken root in the 18th century. Arborists have determined that the oak is leaning dangerously, and soil fissures at its roots indicate failure. Press are invited to witness the procedure and the planned replacement planting in fall. Archival photographs like the one at right from the early 1900s show that the tree towered over past generations of the Peter family, who owned the estate for more than 180 years.

For safety reasons, the tree’s removal had to be scheduled with little notice: Its upper limbs were thinned Tuesday as a temporary measure while awaiting a crane’s availability. Tudor Place staff, Board, and supporters are bidding a reluctant farewell to this old friend. The tree stands out even on a property renowned for old-growth specimens, including the ancient Tulip Poplar named by the America the Beautiful Fund as D.C.’s “Millennium Tree.”

“The loss of this majestic tree will reshape Tudor Place’s north landscape,” said Executive Director Leslie Buhler. “However, just as previous owners honored the site’s past while planning for its future, we will replace it with a new white oak in the fall.”

While a sad event, it’s not without an optimistic side, especially for history lovers and curators
accustomed to a the long view: Measured against the Peters’s two centuries of stewarding the landscape, the time it takes for a replacement sapling to mature into a future “old-growth” tree is the proverbial eye blink. It’s not hard to picture the day when it will offer coming generations shade and the same powerful feelings stirred by nature’s gifts at Tudor Place today. (It is hoped donors will share the same vision: To defray the extraordinary cost of removing and replacing the oak and sustaining and replenishing the site’s other tall trees, a dedicated fund will be formally announced.)

Since 1983, Tudor Place Foundation has continued the Peter family tradition of nurturing the city’s tree canopy. With green spaces under threat all around us, our long view of the past that equips Tudor Place to foresee — and prepare for — a leafy future to come.

Located in Georgetown’s Historic District, this National Historic Landmark is a house museum distinguished for its neoclassical architecture, decorative arts collection, and five-and-a-half acre garden. Built in 1816, it was home to Thomas Peter and his wife, Martha Custis Peter, granddaughter of Martha Washington. It housed six generations of the Peter family over the course of 180 years. Now, open to the public, the historic home is one of our nation’s hidden gems. For details visit www.tudorplace.org

Tudor Place Archaeology Survey Earns Excellence in Historic Preservation Award

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Staff receive DC Historic Preservation Award

Press Contact:
press@tudorplace.org
Website: https://tudorplace.org/
Tudor Place Historic House and Garden
1644 31st Street NW
Washington, DC 2007

Download the PDF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2012

Washington, D.C. – June 18, 2012 — For its intensive site-wide archaeological survey, Tudor Place Historic House & Garden has been awarded the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office’s Ninth Annual Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation. The museum’s executive director and Trustees and representatives of Dovetail Cultural Resources, which carried out the work, will accept the prize for Archaeology this Thursday, June 21, at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue. Seventeen other prize categories include Stewardship, Design & Construction, Publications, and Affordable Housing, among others. Former Historic Preservation Review Board Chairman Tersh Boasberg will also recceive a Lifetime Achievement Award.

“We are thrilled to be recognized for this foundational survey that informs interpretation of the site and the larger scholarship on houw suburban estates of the early 19th century functioned,” said Tudor Place Executive Director Leslie Buhler. “Archaeology is a critical component of our research. We look forward to what further excavations will reveal.”

The project revealed more that 800 artifacts from the 18th through mid-20th centuries. It also offered clues to the location of possible slave quarters, what may have been a burned barn, and a small brick dwelling on the 1816 National Historic Landmark site.

The “Phase 1” survey, completed in May, covered the propertys full 5.5 acres. Dovetail Cultural Resources conducted it for Tudor Place with funding from the Clark-Winchcole Foundation. The project met goals including identifying past building sites; locating (for reference in future improvements) areas without significant subsurface cultural significance; and providing archaeological context for past and future excavations. It consisted of a pedestrian survey, close-interval subsurface “shovel tests” to recover artifacts, and mapping of all points of interest using GPS.

The survey was one of several preservation and conservation projects begun or completed at Tudor Place in 2011. Others, to cite just a few, focused on Martha and George Washington’s unique tabletop plateau and their waxwork (already the source of a rare decorative artifact); the architecturally noteworthy Temple Portico; and the Box Knot Garden once tended by Tudor Place’s original owners. All such endeavors by the Tudor Place Foundation provide documentation for school programs, educator workshops, public programs, and scholarly research.

Located in Georgetown’s Historic District, this National Historic Landmark is a house museum distinguished for its neoclassical architecture, decorative arts collection, and five-and-a-half acre garden. Built in 1816, it was home to Thomas Peter and his wife, Martha Custis Peter, granddaughter of Martha Washington. It housed six generations of the Peter family over the course of 180 years. Now, open to the public, the historic home is one of our nation’s hidden gems. For details visit https://tudorplace.org/

Tudor Place Garden Restoration Heralds Commitment to Long-Term Preservation

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Press Contact:
Communications Officer
Mandy Katz, mkatz@tudorplace.org
Mobile: 202.486.7645
Website: www.tudorplace.org
Tudor Place Historic House and Garden
1644 31st Street NW
Washington, DC 2007

Download the PDF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2012

Washington, D.C. – May 9, 2012 — Tudor Place Trustees, neighbors, and other supporters gathered yesterday evening in the historic Georgetown estate’s North Garden to dedicate the National Historic Landmark’s newly restored Box Knot Garden. The project restored the feature to its appearance in 1933, which itself replicated its earliest incarnation.

“This is the first significant garden restoration to be completed at Tudor Place since it passed out of private hands in the 1980s,” said Executive Director Leslie Buhler. “On a practical level, the restoration enables more sustainable horticultural practices and helps ensure this historic feature’s hardiness and growth. On a symbolic level, it exemplifies the high standards we have established for site-wide preservation efforts.”

Such improvements are only achieved through the help of dedicated donors, noted Geoffrey Baker, Vice President of the museum’s Board of Trustees, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. He thanked J. Bruce Whelihan, Trustee of The Ruth S. Willoughby Foundation, for the significant grant that funded theproject.

Mr. Whelihan praised the Box Knot restoration as a positive step toward ensuring the entire site’s future. A Tudor Place Trustee, Mr. Whelihan noted, “These are exciting times with plans under development to fully preserve the house, collection, and garden and, at the same time, provide exhibition and dedicated education spaces.”

The restoration echoes an effort undertaken in the 1930s by owner Armistead Peter, Jr., and his son Armistead Peter 3rd. They recreated in large part the original 1816 Box Knot once tended by Martha Custis Peter, granddaughter to Martha Washington, and her husband Thomas Peter, the home’s founding owners. In recent years, the garden’s geometric hedges inlaid with rose bushes were increasingly stressed by poor drainage and changing climatic conditions, requiring frequent watering.

Director of Gardens & Grounds Suzanne Bouchard, who guided the restoration, described to attendees how the plant beds were excavated and their shrubs replaced with a new variety of boxwood more suited to D.C.’s climate. Roses, including specimens dating to the home’s earliest years, were temporarily removed and restored to their original locations, where they are now blooming prodigiously.

Located in Georgetown’s Historic District, this National Historic Landmark is a house museum distinguished for its neoclassical architecture, decorative arts collection, and five-and-a-half acre garden. Built in 1816, it was home to Thomas Peter and his wife, Martha Custis Peter, granddaughter of Martha Washington. It housed six generations of the Peter family over the course of 180 years. Now, open to the public, the historic home is one of our nation’s hidden gems. For details visit www.tudorplace.org

Preserving the Past, Ensuring the Future: ANC 2E Reviews Tudor Place Concept Design

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Press Contact:
Communications Officer
Mandy Katz, mkatz@tudorplace.org
Mobile: 202.486.7645
Website: www.tudorplace.org
Tudor Place Historic House and Garden
1644 31st Street NW
Washington, DC 2007

Download the PDF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2012

Washington, D.C. – February 27, 2012 — A concept design by Hartman-Cox Architects advancing Tudor Place’s
preservation plan is scheduled for review this evening by ANC2E. This concept design for the
National Historic Landmark and its remarkable collections addresses the needs of the historic site
and responds to remarks from the DC Historic Preservation Office, Old Georgetown Board,
National Park Service, National Historic Landmark Office, and the community. The ANC2E last
reviewed the preservation plan’s site plan at its July 2011 meeting, prior to its consideration by the
OGB.

“It is vitally important that Tudor Place begin implementation of the Master Plan to assure the long
term preservation of the property and its collection,” according to Peter May, National Park Service
associate regional director for Lands, Resources, and Planning (National Capital Region). With
respect to the concept design being presented today, he noted, “The location, massing, detailing all
work to minimize their impact on the property and respect the spatial organization of the historic
landscape.”

For 183 years, six generations of one family lived at Tudor Place and safeguarded its history. As the estate’s succeeding owner, the Tudor Place Foundation similarly seeks to preserve and protect the
property in accordance with best practices for museums and historic sites.

As guiding principles, the Foundation took great care in the concept design to ensure that any new
construction: does not adversely impact historic structures on the site; preserves view sheds to and
from the main house; adheres to terms of the easement held by the National Park Service: and does
not alter key historic landscape features identified in the Cultural Landscape Report prepared by
Heritage Landscapes (the South Lawn, Service Court, Dell, and North Garden).

Tudor Place Executive Director Leslie Buhler notes that the concept design will protect Tudor
Place’s historic resources in accordance with current standards for historic sites. These include the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and the New Orleans
Charter for the Joint Preservation of Historic Structures and Artifacts, a foundational document for preservation accepted as a national standard for historic houses. “This National Historic Landmark takes seriously its obligation to preserve the many historic resources of the site according to best practices,” Ms. Buhler remarked.

“Without better protection of all its cultural resources, Tudor Place is at risk,” she warned.
“Protecting the main house requires installation of modern fire-protection and updating 1914
mechanical and electrical systems. To preserve the house’s original fabric, we must relocate staff
functions, collections storage, and visitor service facilities from the building.”

Added Ms. Buhler, “The collections and archives likewise require upgraded storage to meet even
minimal museum standards. Small closets, bathrooms, the basement, and the attic all currently
serve as storage spaces. This is unacceptable.” Such spaces are susceptible to flooding, insect
infestations, and extremes of temperatures and humidity, Ms. Buhler elaborated, all of which can
destroy objects and documents. In one alarming example, temperatures ranged last year between
37 and 115 degrees in a primary collection storage area.

With its great cultural resources and innovative education programs, Tudor Place is an important
institution serving the Georgetown community and beyond. The revised concept design developed
by Hartman-Cox Architects lightly touches the site and its surroundings while meeting the
demands of responsible stewardship.

Located in Georgetown’s Historic District, this National Historic Landmark is a house museum distinguished for its neoclassical architecture, decorative arts collection, and five-and-a-half acre garden. Built in 1816, it was home to Thomas Peter and his wife, Martha Custis Peter, granddaughter of Martha Washington. It housed six generations of the Peter family over the course of 180 years. Now, open to the public, the historic home is one of our nation’s hidden gems. For details visit www.tudorplace.org