The Tudor Placehistoric home & garden

M artha Custis Peter, the step

granddaughter of George

Washington, commissioned it.

The property was purchased in

1805, after she was left $8,000

in his will, but the design was

not completed until 1816. For

178 years the property and the

house stayed in ownership from

generations of the Peter family.

The name of the property and

the house “The Tudor Place” is

still a mystery and no one knows

just why they decided to name

it this. In 1983 however, the

house was opened to the public

after the death of the great-great

grandson. He wanted the house

to be opened however preserve

the space as those who lived in

it would have. The house is now

under the direction of the Tudor

Place Foundation and is used

for public education. The Tudor

Place Foundation works hard to

preserve the history of the na-

tion’s capital through the Tudor

Place and its collections held

inside while education the public

on the value of history.

HistoryThe Tudor place is a neoclassical residence that was designed by Dr. William Thornton, the same person who designed the Capitol and the Octagon house.

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Upon visiting the grounds and house, one of the first things

noticed is that the interior of the house is furnished just as it would have been at the time it was given to the public. One of the things the Tudor Place Foundation prides itself on is the fact that all the original fabric is used throughout the house. The house has areas for guests and areas that were used for the family who lived there themselves. Many

of the private spaces were not open to guests during the time in which the family was actually living there and are very interesting to see how well they are preserved. The rooms such as the saloon and drawing room were where guests spent most of their time. These rooms were well designed, as the house was designed for not only private living, but a place for entertaining as well, and the entertainment space is grand.

Interior

The house was designed to entertain and impress. Al-though there are many architectural features that make

this house interesting, one of the main focal points you will notice in the house is the marble floor in the dome that serves as the pathway from the house to the gardens. The full-length windows give a gorgeous view of the outside. Today it is known as one of the only full temple porticos in a US residence, and is the only one that is still standing today. Thornton designed the house with an American style, but with inspiration from the French and English. Thornton had good ideas when it came to how the house should look and all the features it should have, however he was not too skilled in actually making his ideas a reality. Because of this enslaved workers, none of which there are any records

of, built the house. Through the years, the house went through many changes as its owners changed four times. Acres were sold, making the property smaller and smaller as the years went on. When Armistead Peter, JR moved in, the house became very modernized. Electricity was added, as was drainage, updated bathrooms, and updates to the kitchen. Because of the times the house was constantly be-ing updated to what was popular and what new things were being invented. Some other changes include a garage for automobiles, expansions and artist studios. Throughout all the changes made to the house and property, “The essen-tial character of Martha ad Thomas Peter’s original house remained intact.”

Design

In this collection of there own personal

items a visitor to the Tudor Place can see the dinnerware that was used in the Presidential house, China table, camp stools that made it through the Revolutionary War, clothing, and other personal items. In addition to these personal items of the Presidential couple, the collection includes items left in the house from all of its previous owners including jewelry,

metalwork, fine art, furniture, firearms, musical instruments, and very interesting, an automobile. The automobile was purchased by Armistead Peter JR for his son, and is a 1919 Pierce Arrow 48-B5 Roadster. This object is so valuable to the house, as it is one of the oldest objects in the house, and is a hit for all those who visit. The collection of fine art really allows the visitors to see a timeline of the owners of the house

and pull everything they are learning together. All of these items provide a real life experience for visitors that allow them to engage visually in the history of house, no matter what age you are, seeing is believing.

CollectionsOne of the main attractions is the amount of pieces they have in the collection of about 15, 000 items in the house that are original and historically preserved. About 200 of these pieces include pieces originally owned by Martha and George Washington.

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In addition to the beautifully built and historical signifi-cance of the house, there is more to the property than just

the building. On the property there is a gorgeous garden that is said to “Reflect the growth of Georgetown, Washing-ton, and the nation and changes in the lives of the family who lived here and the men and women who worked for them or were owned by them.” Many of the plants that are here today have ben there for a century or more and are rare to the museum and part of its collection. The garden spans throughout the entire facility and includes a bowling green, orchard lawn, a center walkway, a lily pond. On the South side there are trees and shrubs that are part of the early

collection as these have been here the longest. One of the most prized possessions in the living collection was planted by the first owners and is the Boxwood Ellipse. One of the other important features of the garden is the Japanese Tree House that was built by the last owner, who was influenced by Asian design. This was a place to entertain guests for lunch and drinks. One of the main events that was held was the annual Spring Garden Party, which because of the need for preservation, The Tudor Place Foundation still hold this annually today. The garden, just like the house, is a place of learning and education for all who visit it.

Gardens

One of the other very interesting features of The ne of the other very interesting features of The Tudor

Place is the collection of personal documents they have preserved from the owners of the house as well as oth-er family members. The collection includes journals, financial records as well as drawings and blueprints form the original design of the house as well as the up-dates made to the house throughout time. Along with journals and writings of that nature, there are original

photographs and books. With these resources, the house allows The Tudor Foundation to really expand their visitors to students and scholars who are look-ing for first hand items as a way to learn more about American History. These documents provide a unique experience that is not available at all historical venues and really brings together the education element the house is trying to provide.

Documents

Monday CLOSEDTuesday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.Wednesday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.Thursday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.Friday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.Sunday noon – 4 p.m

House tours begin on the hour and last approxi-mately 50 minutes. The first tour begins at 10 a.m. and the last at 3 pm

Standard admission: March-December:

Adults $10Seniors (62+) & Military $8 (ID may be re-quested)Students (age 5-17) $3 (ID may be request-ed)under 5 FREEGarden tours $3.Includes self-guided maps and Smartphone

tudorplace.org 202.965.0400