James Madisons Montpelier We The People Spring 2015 | Page 9

SPRING 2015

The project has begun in earnest. During the first
two weeks of January, Montpelier was closed to
the public in order to prepare the mansion for
refurnishing and new interpretations. Working
closely with restoration experts and professional
consultants, curatorial and operations staff oversaw
the repainting of the mansion’s interior trim, the
repair of the plaster cracks and damage in interior
walls and exterior columns caused by the 2011
earthquake, lime washing, and the remediation of
failing floors in the cellar spaces.
Rubenstein’s gift is the capstone to The Montpelier
Foundation’s last decade of work, restoring the
mansion and grounds to their ca.1817-1836
appearance to reflect the home that James and
Dolley created. With a $20 million lead gift
from the Estate of Paul Mellon, The Montpelier
Foundation embarked on this journey in 2002.
Six years later, the architectural restoration was
complete; however, the newly restored mansion
was largely an empty shell. Where were the grand
works of art, the piano forte, the draperies, and
wallpapers of which visitors wrote so vividly?
Where were Madison’s books he used to develop
the framework for the Constitution? Where and
how did the slaves, who made the Madisons’ lives
possible, live and work?
Thus, Montpelier began the second phase of its
restoration—the Presidential Detective Story, an
on-going curatorial initiative to understand how
individual rooms were used, how people lived,

The Presidential Detective Story culls data from property maps, invoices,
prints, engravings, and visitor accounts—even archival evidence from
peer households like the Jeffersons and Monroes—to help researchers
understand how Montpelier’s residents lived. The finds inform interpretive
plans, museum programs, and other scholarly research, thereby aiding
in situating the Madisons in appropriate historical and social context for
scholars and visitors alike.

With the help of Rubenstein’s investment,
Montpelier is leveraging the Presidential Detective
Story to its full potential. Of Mr. Rubenstein’s $10
million gift, $6.5 million will fund the research,
staff, and acquisitions needed to complete the
restoration and interpretation of remaining interior
spaces, including the South Passage. The original
1760 entrance used as a gallery space by James and

O
 f Mr. Rubenstein’s $10 million gift, $6.5 million will fund the research, staff, and acquisitions needed to
complete the restoration and interpretation of the remaining interior spaces, including the South Passage.
and to ultimately recover the personal affects and
collections of James and Dolley Madison that were
all but lost over the past 150 years. Drawing on
carpet tacks, wallpaper fragments, undated receipts,
and requests for goods abroad, Montpelier staff
has built an archive of over 30,000 documents that
provides evidence for the context in which the
Madisons lived at Montpelier. This information has
guided the refurnishing and interpretation of the
mansion’s interior with the same degree of accuracy
as achieved in the architectural restoration.

Dolley Madison, the South Passage was described
by the Madisons’ houseguests as being adorned
with vivid fine art from floor to ceiling; however
today, this primary space is stark and empty. Fueled
by the Rubenstein Initiative, researchers are on the
hunt for evidence that will help identify and locate
this significant American art collection. Other
primary spaces to benefit from the Rubenstein
Initiative include the upstairs bedchambers, storage
spaces, and the cellar kitchens.

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