New Room

The New Room Renewed

In 2013, Mount Vernon is undertaking a yearlong restoration and refurbishment project in George Washington’s “New Room,” commonly known as the Large Dining Room. Combining style and substance, the New Room was the most highly decorated and most public space at Mount Vernon.  With a double-height ceiling, Palladian window, and agricultural motifs, the room provided a strong statement about Washington’s position among the country’s elite.  Today the New Room remains the focal point for visitors to Mount Vernon and illustrates Washington’s belief in the qualities of virtue and independence necessary for the new republic.

The goal of the restoration is to apply the most recent scholarly and scientific discoveries about the room, its furnishings, and our understanding of the room’s function during Washington’s lifetime. In addition to cleaning and repairs, we will conduct paint analysis to refine our understanding of the colors used in the room. We will reexamine the wallpaper fragments and hardware original to the room as well as research the furniture and artwork Washington used to outfit the space. In other words, we are reassessing the New Room from top to bottom in order to share the most up-to-date interpretation with our visitors.

While the room is empty (or filled with scaffolding), we are documenting our work on our Tumblr blog in order provide a peek behind the scenes at the work of architectural historians, conservators, curators, and many others. We are also maintaining a Facebook page and Twitter feed (@MVnewroom), where you just might hear from the room itself.

It took Washington more than a decade to complete the addition of the New Room to the mansion—please join us as we spend the next year repairing, restoring, and researching this important room at Mount Vernon.

Look for The New Room Renewed on Tumblr, Facebook, and Twitter.