New Publication Marks 200th Anniversary for Tudor Place
Beautifully illustrated book connects White House, historic Georgetown property, and First Lady Martha Custis WashingtonWashington D.C. —
The White House Historical Association announced today the release of its new publication, Tudor Place: America’s Story Lives Here. Published in collaboration with the Tudor Place Foundation, this book provides the first published record of Tudor Place as a public museum, illuminating the vast archive and collection and those who amassed it over 178 years of family occupancy.
Located on the heights of Georgetown in the District of Columbia, Tudor Place in 1816 was completing construction even as the nearby White House underwent reconstruction necessitated by its burning by the British in 1814. Its builders were Martha Washington’s granddaughter Martha Parke Custis Peter and her husband Thomas Peter. Proceeds from a bequest from George Washington funded their purchase of the 8.5-acre lot, and the Washingtons are well represented in the foundation’s holdings by items including one of only three known remaining letters between George and Martha Washington.
This volume is the first of a number of upcoming titles wholly devoted to landmarks with ties to the White House located outside of the President’s Park. Through lineage and circumstance, Tudor Place’s occupants bore witness to the growth and ever changing landscape of the nation’s Federal City. In its architectural origins, décor, and uses, their home sheds light on the White House’s own history as well as the profound influence of a handful of architects in shaping the public and private buildings of the nation’s capital.
“We believe strongly in the importance of preserving White House history through scholarship, imagery, and storytelling,” said Stewart D. McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association. “Through our collaboration with Tudor Place, we are able to bring to life a new lens on White House history, highlighting the dedicated stewardship of the Peter family over six generations and their efforts to protect and honor George and Martha Washington’s legacy in the founding of our nation.”
Beautiful illustrations accompany lush, new photography by Bruce White, bringing to life dynamic essays on the architecture, landscape, collections, and people of Tudor Place. The hardcover book, nearly 300 pages, is encased in a spellbinding dust jacket.
Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner Joseph J. Ellis remarks in his foreword to the book that “a walk through the rooms of Tudor Place resembles an archaeological dig through multiple layers of American history.”
“Like the White House itself, Tudor Place not only sheds light on our nation’s formative years, but embodies change in our capital over two centuries,” said Executive Director Mark Hudson. “It’s a beautiful book, and this fruitful collaboration underscores the museum’s place among the most important and best preserved artifacts of our nation’s history.”
The Association and Tudor Place are pleased to offer the book for sale at their respective institutional gift stores and online at shop.whitehousehistory.org.
About Tudor Place
One of the country’s first National Historic Landmarks, celebrating its 2016 Bicentennial, Tudor Place is an architectural gem of national and international significance and has been called “the most architecturally significant early 19th century residence in Washington,” by the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts. Built from plans by Dr. William Thornton, architect of the first U.S. Capitol, it stands on five-and-a-half acres of open space in a landscape that retains much of its original outlines and old-growth trees, shrubs, and blooming plants. Its rich archive and collection of more than 15,000 objects include important examples of fine and decorative arts and textiles from the 17th through 20th centuries, early American documents and correspondence, household goods reflecting changing technology and domestic usage, and a public collection second in size only to Mount Vernon’s of objects owned by George and Martha Washington. Managed by the Tudor Place Foundation, its mission is to bring people closer to their own stories and the American story by connecting them to history, culture, and domestic life in the nation’s capital. To learn more about Tudor Place, please visit: tudorplace.org.
Media Contacts
Tudor Place: Mandy Katz, mkatz@tudorplace.org, 202-486-7645 (cell).
About the White House Historical Association
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy envisioned a restored White House that conveyed a sense of history through its decorative and fine arts. She sought to inspire Americans, especially children, to explore and engage with American history and its presidents. In 1961, the nonprofit, nonpartisan White House Historical Association was established to support her vision to preserve and share the Executive Mansion’s legacy for generations to come. Supported entirely by private resources, the Association’s mission is to assist in the preservation of the state and public rooms, fund acquisitions for the White House permanent collection, and educate the public on the history of the White House. Since its founding, the Association has given more than $115 million to the White House in fulfillment of its mission.
To learn more about the White House Historical Association, please visit WhiteHouseHistory.org.
