Two Steps Back
Visit Montpelier to See Restoration’s Progress
By LYNN and GLENN PRIBUS
The moment we turn into James Madison’s
Montpelier estate, we feel drawn back into history. When we reach the
mansion as it looks due west to the Blue Ridge, we imagine arriving here
at the home of our fourth president in a horse-drawn carriage.
Montpelier is nearing the end of its own backward journey into history.
A comprehensive architectural restoration project begun in 2004 has
allowed visitors to watch as the estate returns to its original 1820s
size and shape. We want to see this transformation in process.
Our first stop is at the Visitor Center, where a small museum displays
items such as a lock of Madison’s hair, dishes, maps and even the
remnants of a mouse nest with bits of wallpaper, fabric, newspaper and a
letter written by Madison, all dated to his era.
In the Visitor Center theater, a docent talks about Madison and his
original home, using computerized graphics to layer on his additions and
remodeling, subsequent additions by later owners, and finally the
anticipated final appearance after the restoration. The DuPont Gallery
tells the history of the property after the family bought it in the
early 1900s. The surviving owner, Marion DuPont, wished the property to
be restored to its original state after her death.
A Most Significant Project
Jim Jacobs, our historical interpreter as we tour the house, explains
that Montpelier is part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Many historians consider this the most significant restoration of our
generation. The feasibility study alone took almost two years, with
researchers consulting drawings and plans, letters, photographs and an
old insurance survey showing the locations of outbuildings.
Other clues came from historical letters detailing such things as the
arrangement of rooms and the paintings on the walls. Even that mouse
nest with its shreds of wallpaper and fabric provided information.
The process began in the spring of 2004 with the removal of the DuPont
alterations including several additions, peach-colored stucco and the
copper roof. The workers are master restoration craftsmen who are
assisted by apprentices. Fascinated visitors have been able to tour and
watch the process almost all the time.
Dedication to Authenticity
What impresses us most is the quest for absolute authenticity. Examples:
the locations of old nail holes were recorded to determine where
pictures had hung; the master mason visited England to get sandstone
from the original quarry for the mantel; and hemp from Holland replaces
the old hemp rope supporting the window sashes even though the ropes are
completely out of sight.
Jacobs tells us that 75 to 80 percent of the flooring is original, and
when replacement items such as lathe are needed, they are obtained from
companies who specialize in rescuing materials from period homes.
The brick walls are completely authentic, even though they will be
covered by plaster made with historical recipes which include horsehair
in the first layer.
We can’t go upstairs because the second floor is closed to everyone,
including the workers. The downstairs ceilings are still drying and they
don’t want to risk cracks. Upon completion, the “Architectural Room” on
the second level will remain unrestored so visitors can understand the
process of the four-year project.
Our tour takes us through rooms in various stages of restoration,
including the very room where Madison died. We finally reach the end of
tour—the kitchen.
“This is so exciting,” says Jacobs, and he is visibly delighted as we
duck our heads to enter the low-ceilinged, brick-floored room. “It’s
been closed for a long time while they were working here,” he explains.
He talks about the brickwork and plaster and the new “old” construction
which is being so carefully performed. Then he pauses, looks around and
says, “It is really a work of art, when you think about it.”
California transplants Glenn and Lynn Pribus are
exploring Virginia from their new home base in Charlottesville.
