Montpelier restoration enters second phase

A journey of rediscovery and re-creation is underway at James Madison's Montpelier as experts and curators take on the task of researching the furniture and décor which would have surrounded the former president and his wife, Dolley, while they lived at Montpelier.
Over the last five years, a full-scale facelift of James Madison's Montpelier restored the former president’s home-with infinite accuracy-to the way it looked when the Madisons lived there. But the flashback isn't complete, and in May, The Montpelier Foundation announced it was taking on Phase II of the restoration by researching and acquiring furnishings and decor from the late 19th century.
"The Montpelier Foundation is very pleased to begin the work of restoring the interior décor of the home of James and Dolley Madison," Montpelier President Michael C. Quinn said. "This initiative will embody the same excellence in scholarship, authenticity and quality that we brought to the architectural restoration, and will return the style of the Madisons at home."
It took $25 million, and the expertise of a top team of artisans and historians to bring the structure and exterior of Montpelier back to the way it was nearly 200 years ago. And to achieve the same level of authenticity in the building's interior, Montpelier's curatorial department is launching a major research project to discover the styles and patterns adorning the Madisons' home. That research includes a top-to-bottom study to determine details and particulars of wallpaper and upholsteries, furniture and finials.
According to Lynne Daskin Hastings, Montpelier's vice president for museum programs, the multi-year research and acquisition project is estimated to cost $10 million. But when the undertaking is completed, Hastings said the accurately restored interior will give Montpelier visitors a clear representation of the lives of the Father of the Constitution and the nation's original First Lady.
"I believe that it is impossible to understand the essence of James and Dolley Madison without a holistic understanding of the environment in which they lived. The colors and forms they chose, the objects with which they surrounded themselves, speak volumes about who these people were within the larger world," Hastings explained. "Recreating portions of the Madison's interiors at Montpelier will help produce realistic images of their domestic felicity and hospitality, as well as the setting and opportunities that fostered one of the greatest Founding Fathers."
Already, Montpelier restoration experts have discovered several of the Madisons' furnishings. Among other findings, an oil painting titled, Pan, Youths and Nymphs, ca. 1630, will again be hung on Montpelier walls, as it was in the Madisons' time. Likewise, a silver cake basket from about 1803 will again grace the dining table. And restorers have acquired an early 19th century sofa representing a similar piece which the Madisons used in the White House and at Montpelier.
Montpelier hours, April through October are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The gift shop and visitors center are open until 5 p.m. Admission includes a guided tour of the Madison home; admission to the 2,650-acre gardens and grounds; seasonal and themed tours; the Gilmore Cabin: A Freedman's Farm; the Visitor Center and William duPont Gallery; Education Center; Museum Shop; Landmark Forest; Madison Family Cemetery; Slave Cemetery; active archaeological digs; and the Annie duPont Formal Garden. Admission also includes an audioguide that allows visitors to take a self-guided tour of the grounds.