Emily Coleman Dibella
edibella@mountvernon.org
703-799-8607 or 202-365-9002

MOUNT VERNON, Va.  - After more than a decade of planning, Mount Vernon opens 25 state-of-the-art galleries and theaters with a celebratory public event taking place on the one-of-a-kind pasture roof of the new Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center at 11:00 a.m. on October 27.   Featuring remarks by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough and veteran broadcaster Roger Mudd, the grand opening will include lively 18th-century military re-enactors, music by a fife and drum corps, bagpipers and award-winning soprano Nicole Cabell, confetti cannons with pyrotechnics, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony at each building.  Admission is free all day.

The Ford Orientation Center and Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center are the major components of a $110 million campaign by George Washington’s Mount Vernon to illuminate fascinating chapters of Washington’s life including early adulthood, military leadership, and the presidency.  Visitors will learn about Washington through interactive displays, an action adventure movie, short films produced by The History Channel, immersive experiences, and a rich and comprehensive collection of more than 700 objects which give an unprecedented look at furnishings, china, silver, clothing, jewelry, Revolutionary War artifacts, rare books and manuscripts, and other personal effects of the Washington family.   

Three life-size wax models created by a team of artists and forensic and computer experts will depict Washington as never before seen at three significant stages of his life – as a land surveying teenager in the western Virginia woods, a Revolutionary War general astride his white horse at Valley Forge, and the 57-year-old first president as he is sworn in on the balcony of Federal Hall.

The Ford Orientation Center is made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund.  The Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center is made possible by a $24 million donation by the Las Vegas-based Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.  Robert H. and Clarice Smith of Arlington, Virginia, also have made a major contribution to the new facilities.

Responding to the desire of Mount Vernon’s regents to ensure that the Ford Orientation Center and Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center did not overwhelm or detract from the historic Mansion, GWWO Architects/Inc. tucked 65 percent of the 66,700-square foot complex under the four-acre pasture just inside Mount Vernon’s main gate, a design which guarantees that the pastoral setting and viewsheds to and from the Mansion will be preserved.  Traditional Hogg Island sheep, like those Washington raised 200 years ago, will graze on the pasture roof – after the grand opening festivities –  invoking a bucolic setting similar to the Mount Vernon of Washington’s day.

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Since 1858, millions of visitors have made George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens the most popular historic home in America.  Through thought-provoking tours, entertaining events, and stimulating educational programs on the Estate and in classrooms across the nation, Mount Vernon strives to preserve George Washington’s place in history as “First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen.”  Mount Vernon is owned and operated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, America’s oldest national preservation organization, founded in 1853.  A picturesque drive to the southern end of the scenic George Washington Memorial Parkway, Mount Vernon is located just 16 miles from the nation’s capital. 

Hours of operation: April-August, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; March, September, October, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; November – February, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Regular admission rates: adults, $13.00; senior citizens, $12.00; children age 6-11, when accompanied by an adult, $6.00; and children under age 5, FREE.  Admission fees, restaurant and retail proceeds, along with private donations, support the operation and restoration of Mount Vernon.