Mount Vernon
Location
Mount Vernon, Virginia
Notables
National Historic Landmark
HISTORIC LEGACY
The core of George Washington’s Mount Vernon was originally constructed by his father Augustine in 1734 as a modest Virginia farmhouse. Over time and over four major remodeling campaigns, the house was transformed by George and Martha Washington into the iconic and impressive mansion we know today: reflecting Washington’s status as our nation’s first president and the father of our country.
George Washington
Martha Washington
Watercolor by Benjamin Henry Latrobe. c. 1796. Courtesy of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association
East Front of Mansion facing Potomac River 2021
West Front of Mansion 2021
PROJECT OVERVIEW
MCWB began the Mansion Revitalization project with a Cellar Study in 2017 describing and quantifying the physical history of the cellar with the goal of defining tasks to fully restore the cellar to its 1799 appearance. Design services commenced in 2021 for the Mansion Revitalization project, the largest undertaking in the history of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association (MVLA) at George Washington’s Mount Vernon.
This multi-year effort focused on re-stabilizing and restoring the wood timber-frame structure; restoring masonry and stone walls and foundations; upgrading and installing new mechanical, electrical and fire protection systems; and ultimately restoring the cellar to its 1799 appearance, the year of George Washington’s death.
RESEARCH & DOCUMENTATION
The first task was to understand the development of Mount Vernon’s cellar and record the historic building fabric, dating each piece of wood, studying masonry features and analyzing architectural elements. This data was synthesized to provide a physical history of the cellar and three dimensional models were developed to illustrate the development of the cellars physical configurations from 1734 to present.
Next, MCWB assessed the feasibility of restoring the mansion cellar to the Washington period, while determining methods for concealing the modern mechanical, electrical and fire protection systems.
Work for the Cellar Study included:
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Reviewing visual records, Washington papers, historic reports, photographs & drawings and archaeological data in the MVLA archives to establish a timeline for the building’s development.
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Recommending mortar testing and additional archaeology to verify different construction phases.
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Cataloguing and dating each piece of wood and masonry in the cellar to create a physical history of the structure as it stood in 1799.
DESIGN
Prior to construction, MCWB began progressing through the construction evolution – creating 3D views and layouts to illustrate the cellar’s condition at key historical points. From there, these models and drawings were used to outline a restoration plan for the cellar.
Little Parlor later period flooring & joists removed
RESTORATION
To allow the building systems upgrades and concealment to be implemented, restoration work on the wood timber-frame and stone and masonry walls needed to occur first. Restoration work at George Washington’s Mount Vernon includes:
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Stabilize the 18th-century wood timber-frame structure
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Rebuild window and door openings, including custom wood window frames, sashes, doors, and period hardware
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Restore cellar entryways and wood plank walls in the kitchen quarters and closets
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Replicate historic light fixtures to provide ambient lighting
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Restore the Piazza roof and drainage system
North end exterior cantilevered shoring
New Room joist install
CONSTRUCTION
Construction activities began in 2023 with an addition to an existing underground bunker to accommodate a custom air-handling unit for the Mansion. The existing bunker will be retrofit for new building systems and equipment with ducts and conduits that transverse the North Yard between the bunker and the Mansion underground. The ducts and conduits are installed below the Mansion cellar floor in trenches that run from one end of the cellar to the other, branching off and feeding different rooms of the Mansion, including the upper floors. The result is a restored cellar with concealed building systems, creating better environmental conditions and comfort control with more sophisticated equipment to the interior of the Mansion.
Photo Caption: BIM model of the mansion & bunker showing complex mechanical system integration.
Utility Bunker expansion. Rebar installed for concrete wall construction.
Concrete wall formed, preparing to poor concrete ceiling.
Interior of completed bunker expansion
The result of this multi-year revitalization effort brings to fruition the restoration of the Cellar to 1799, allowing the public to experience the cellar as George and Martha Washington would have known it, preserving their beloved home, Mount Vernon, for posterity.
