Dumbarton House — Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

Dumbarton House was built circa 1800 in the federal style, and is located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It was purchased in 1928 by National Society of Colonial Dames of America to serve as the association’s headquarters. Faced with the need for additional space for existing and new uses, Martin Jay Rosenblum AIA and Associates was retained by the National Society of Colonial Dames of America to prepare a Property Development Plan in 1986. The purpose of the plan was to guide the management, interpretation, maintenance and expansion of the site.

Based upon the recommendations in the Property Development Plan, the Society commissioned Martin Jay Rosenblum AIA and Associates to serve as architects for a three year project commemorating the centennial of the founding of the Society. The project included restoration of the house and construction of a series of new public rooms to serve the various functions and exhibits of the organization.

The historic core of the existing house was restored for continued interpretation as a house museum. Portions of the east hyphen and wing, and the lower level administration areas, were rehabilitated for continued non-museum use. A new visitor center, meeting space and formal garden were added on a newly expanded lower level adjacent to the house. As an integral part of the project, the adjacent landscape was developed as a public horticultural park with identified plantings.