Tudor Place, like any historic building, requires continual care and maintenance to preserve the building and the collection it houses. Throughout its history the Peter family made minor alterations and repairs to the interior and exterior of the house to maintain it as a comfortable family home. They took great care to maintain the historic integrity of the building and the overall Federal period design. Tudor Place Foundation, Inc. is now continuing that tradition by undertaking a three-part conservation project to repair deteriorated building materials and to create a safe and stable environment for the building and the collection it holds. Through the stabilization project we are uncovering many of the building's secrets and greatly expanding our knowledge regarding this unique property. Click on a link below to learn more.

Phase I – Drainage Replacement Project – Completed October 2006

• Overview
• Discoveries

Phase II – Stucco Replacement Project – In Progress

• Overview and Specialized Tours
• History of Stucco at Tudor Place
• Why Replace the Stucco?
• Revealing the Hidden Past

Phase III – Updating Electrical & Mechanical Systems – Scheduled 2008 – 2009

• Overview

Overview
When Armistead Peter, Jr. inherited Tudor Place from his grandmother, Britannia Peter Kennon, in 1911, there were substantial problems with water infiltrating the foundation walls and flooding the cellar. In 1914, as part of the large-scale renovations of the house, Armistead Peter, Jr. set out to find a solution to the problem. His solution was to install an underground drainage system and to embed the brick apron around the house in concrete. The underground drainage system he installed carried rainwater away from the house and foundations through cast iron pipes connected to each downspout and some of the window well drains. The new brick walkway around the house was embedded in concrete with the hopes of preventing water from soaking through the walkway and infiltrating through the dry-laid stone foundations.

After being in place for ninety-two years the drainage system had deteriorated to such an extent that water was no longer draining away from the house but was backing up against the foundations, and in the event of heavy rains, flooding portions of the cellar. Investigations of the system using a small camera revealed that many of the cast iron drainage pipes had collapsed or had large holes. The drains had to be replaced, but in order to access them the embedded brick walkway had to be removed.

Work began with the removal of the brick walkway at the end of 2005. It was also decided that the north steps, which were badly deteriorated and slowly falling apart, would be stabilized as part of the drainage project. The steps were dismantled by the end of the year. During the first half of 2006, the new cast iron drainpipes were installed and connected to every downspout and window well. These new drainpipes carried the rainwater from the house to catch basins positioned below ground in the South Lawn. Once the drainage system was installed the brick walkway was dry-laid with a French drain and Voltex water barrier in order to prevent water from soaking through the apron and entering the foundations. Historic bricks, matching the age, color and clay consistency of the 1914 bricks were located in Iowa, shipped to site and dry-laid in sand and stone dust around the house. Finally the north steps were rebuilt. The new drainage system is functioning as it should and Tudor Place is no longer experiencing water infiltration in the cellar.

Discoveries
Archeologists from DATA Investigations monitored all the digging required to lay the new drainage system. An excavation near the SW corner of the West Wing (believed to be an 18th century building by the last owner) revealed the stone foundations of a porch. Found among the foundation rubble were numerous late 18th century household artifacts including gaming pieces, a pencil, sewing items, pieces of china and most intriguing of all, a decorative box lid carved out of bone.

As work continued around the house many more artifacts from all periods of the Peter family occupation including china, pottery, buttons, nails, and remnants of earlier walkways were unearthed. While digging to the East of the East Wing a burn line in the soil, along with an assortment of bricks was discovered indicating a brick kiln was once positioned there. Further excavation revealed that the kiln pre-dated the erection of the East Wing. A very old, and previously unknown, drainage system was discovered in the South Lawn. The underground drain was composed of bricks and slate. The recovered artifacts and site features have answered some questions and raised even more. We hope some of the mysteries will be solved during Phase II – The Stucco Replacement Project.

Overview
This is a very exciting time for Tudor Place as conservation work to protect this elegant and significant National Historic Landmark building continues into its second phase. The Portland cement stucco, currently cladding the house has failed and is leading to water infiltration. The stucco will be removed and replaced with a lime-based stucco. The replacement of the stucco will not only help conserve the building and the collection it houses, but will also contribute greatly to our knowledge about how the house evolved and what the property was like when Martha and Thomas Peter first moved here in 1805.

1805 - 1816: Building a Federal Mansion
According to family reminiscences, the downspout heads, and archival material the graceful Federal mansion was completed for Martha and Thomas Peter in 1816, eleven years after the Peters had moved onto the property. Contemporary diary entries and tax records indicate that at least one and as many as three brick buildings existed at Tudor Place in 1805. Descendants of Martha and Thomas Peter stated that the brick East and West Wings and perhaps the brick one-and-a-half story Hyphens, were on site in 1805 and were incorporated into the final design of the house. Dr. William Thornton, a close family friend to Martha and Thomas Peter, created numerous architectural designs for the Peters. Dr. Thornton is credited not only with the design of the elegant Temple Portico and curved wall of windows, but also with the balanced North and South facades. If the wings and hyphens were already in existence then we can assume Dr. Thornton recreated their facades and designed the Central Block to create a Federal style home for the Peters.

Dr. William Thornton

William Thornton, a native of the Quaker Colony of Tortola and son of an English born plantation owner, immigrated to America after studying anatomy, surgery, chemistry and the practice and theory of medicine at the University of Edinburgh. Thornton became an American citizen only a year after his arrival in 1786, giving his "Affirmation of Fidelity to the State of Delaware.” Thornton, an ardent abolitionist and clever inventor, had many other interests including horse racing and agriculture. Image of William Thornton courtesy of Redwood Library and Athenaeum, Newport, Rhode Island

Upon coming to Washington, Thornton and his wife, Anna Maria, moved in important social and political circles, befriending many of the nation’s most prominent and influential citizens. A gentleman architect, Thornton’s most renowned accomplishment is his design for the first United States Capitol. Thornton’s plan was chosen by President George Washington, who praised the design for its “Grandeur, Simplicity, and Beauty of the exterior; the propriety with which the apartments are distributed, and economy in the mass of the whole structure….” Thornton and Washington became close friends, corresponding about architecture, agriculture, and politics. Thornton’s Capitol, however, was ill fated. Severely damaged by fire during the 1814 British invasion of Washington, it was subsequently redesigned by Thornton’s competitor Benjamin Latrobe. In addition to his relationship with the Washingtons and the Peters, Thornton was a lifelong friend of James Madison and corresponded with Thomas Jefferson on the design, siting and planning for a pavilion at Jefferson’s new university in Charlottlesville.

Thornton consulted with Washington on a series of houses on Capitol Hill meant for use as a residential hotel. Thornton’s other contributions to residential architecture include townhouses designed for Thomas and Eliza Law on New Jersey Avenue, John Tayloe III’s Octagon at 1799 New York Avenue, and Woodlawn plantation, the home of Eleanor and Lawrence Lewis situated just a few miles from Mount Vernon.

1816: First Stucco Application
Stucco, scored to look like stone blocks, was a common exterior treatment for homes of the upper classes in the early 19th century. Dr. Thornton also supported the aesthetic and wrote numerous letters to friends and colleagues during the early 19th century stressing the use of scored stucco, especially on buildings with brickwork of more than one period. By covering the exterior with scored stucco one could create the appearance of a unified whole. Descendants of Martha and Thomas Peter maintained that the house had been stuccoed since completion. Based on family reminiscences and knowledge of the period, staff currently believe that upon completion of the house the exterior was covered with a lime-based stucco to hide the different periods of building and create the appearance of a unified whole. In keeping with the period the stucco would have been scored to appear as if the house was constructed of stone blocks.

1871: Stucco Replacement
Archival evidence indicates that Britannia Peter Kennon (daughter of Martha and Thomas Peter and owner of Tudor Place from 1854 until her death in 1911) may have replaced the original c.1816 stucco in the early 1870s. The earliest known photograph of Tudor Place dates to c.1873 and depicts the entire South Elevation of the house. The stucco covering the house appears new and features score lines picked out with a type of white paint or putty. Historic lime-based stucco generally has a lifespan of 50 years and so the original lime-based stucco applied in 1816 would have been in a need of replacement after being on the house for 55 years. Archival records, as well as building materials visible within the house, indicate that Britannia made numerous alterations to the house during the 1870s, including adding the kitchen wing in 1876, rebuilding portions of the hyphen roofs and altering at least one staircase. A check for a substantial sum of money paid to a local contractor in 1871 appears to have been payment for a stucco replacement project.

1873 – 1911: Deterioration
Numerous photographs held in the archival collection depict the exterior of the house from various viewpoints. Moving forward through time from the c.1873 photograph of the house, the stucco begins to deteriorate. The white score lines so visible in the c.1873 photograph start to fade, disappearing almost completely by 1911. Ivy growing across the entire north elevation of the house as well as along the sides of the building, dislodged chunks of the lime based stucco from the building. The ivy held water against the lime-based stucco and so it is not surprising that by the turn of the 20th century the stucco would once again need to be replaced. When Britannia’s grandson, Armistead Peter Jr. took control of the property upon Britannia’s death in 1911, the stucco was in very poor condition.

1914 Renovations: New Stucco Application
Upon moving to Tudor Place, Armistead Peter, Jr. undertook a large-scale project to update the house to meet the expectations of an early 20th century family. He installed electricity, rearranged staircases, created additional bathrooms, updated the heating system and made numerous repairs to the property. According to the Specifications for the 1914 work on the house, Armistead Peter, Jr. originally intended to repair the lime-based stucco on the house, believing it was the original stucco applied in 1816. However, early in the project it became clear that the stucco could not be saved and must be replaced.

Armistead Peter Jr. decided to replace the lime-based stucco with a Portland cement based stucco viewed in the early 20th century as the perfect solution for water infiltration problems. Following the removal of the lime-based stucco, a Portland cement stucco was applied to the house in the following method:

1. An expandable ribbed metal lath was nailed onto the masonry.
2. The Portland cement stucco was applied to the metal lath.

Unfortunately Portland cement, once thought to be the final answer to moisture infiltration problems, is now known to cause long-term damage to historic masonry and can actually trap water within the structure due to its rigidity and imperviousness. Historic bricks and lime-based mortars are designed to breathe, expanding and contracting in reaction to humidity and temperature. Portland cement does not breathe and is impervious to moisture. When applied directly to the masonry the rigidity of the Portland cement prohibits the movement of the brick causing the bricks to break as they try to expand and contract during the seasonal cycle. This breaking is called spalling.

Here at Tudor Place the Portland cement stucco was applied to an expandable metal lath, not directly onto the bricks. However, the use of metal lath in the stucco application caused additional problems, creating pockets between the stucco and the bricks that trap water from condensation within the building. Cracks appeared within the Portland cement stucco as early as 1918 and rainwater was able to enter through the cracks and again be trapped directly against the masonry. Although contributing to the water infiltration problem, the metal lath may have helped preserve the underlying 18th and 19th century brickwork from spalling against the rigid Portland cement during freeze/ thaw cycles.

The Portland cement stucco applied by Armistead Peter, Jr. has now been in place for 93 years. Water has infiltrated the space between the stucco and the masonry, rusting the nails and causing the metal lath to disengage from the brickwork. Cracks have appeared all over the stucco due to the shifting of the metal lath, allowing more water to penetrate the underlying bricks and mortar causing dampness problems visible from the interior of the house. Over most of the building the metal lath has pulled away from the underlying masonry. Knocking on the stucco produces a hollow sound, verifying that it is no longer properly attached to the structure. In order to continue to provide a safe, stable environment for the extensive Tudor Place collections, as well as to preserve the architecturally significant house, the failing Portland cement stucco attached to a metal lath must be replaced.

No one knows for certain how the house evolved over time. Armistead Peter 3rd, the last owner of Tudor Place, records in his book that the East and West Wings were constructed first, followed by the East and West Hyphens and finally the Central Block was completed based on Dr. Thornton’s designs in 1816. He also states in his book that the East Wing was originally used as a stable and the West Wing and West Hyphen were the living quarters of the Peters when they arrived on site in 1805.

These theories about the development of the house appear to have been handed down from Armistead Peter, Jr to his son. Unfortunately, as of today, we have found no contemporary documents describing the construction of the house during the late 18th century or of existing buildings on site when the Peters took ownership in 1805. The 1798 Glass Tax Records for the property describe three brick buildings on site, a two-story dwelling, a two-story kitchen and a stable. The length and width of each of these buildings is given as 16’ x 34’, a measurement that does not match any existing buildings on site. The East and West Wings measure 20’ 6” x 38’ 6” each, a full 4’ 6” off in both length and width. Although it is possible the assessor's measurements were off by a foot, it is unlikely that he was off by such a large margin.

The revealed masonry should provide insight into the following questions:

• Do any buildings listed in the 1798 Glass Tax survive on the property?
• What buildings were here when the Peters moved to the site in 1805?
• How were these early buildings used?
• Did the East Wing ever function as a stable?
• What existing structures, if any, did Dr. Thornton incorporate in his design of Tudor Place?
• How were these existing buildings incorporated into the final house plan?

Once the stucco has been removed and the masonry is revealed we will be able to look at the house and interpret any signs of changes made to the structure, such as blocked windows and doorways, straight joints, different bonding patterns, and the varying ages of bricks. This will help us gain a better understanding of how the house evolved and may provide some information regarding dates of construction based on nail types, brick shapes and other materials. Whatever information is revealed will help us more fully understand the life of Thomas and Martha Peter, their children and enslaved persons at Tudor Place from 1805 until 1816 as well as provide a greater appreciation for the work of Dr. Thornton.

Overview
Tudor Place is a unique historic house museum, not only due to its extensive collections and elegant architecture, but because it was cared for and maintained by one family for over 178 years. Each of the four owners of the property updated the house in order to maintain a comfortable family home but at the same time respected and conserved the history of the house. Britannia Peter Kennon, daughter of the first owners Martha and Thomas Peter, had gas lighting installed by 1863 and also had the first heating system installed. When Armistead Peter, Jr. took over ownership of the property in 1911 he made numerous alterations to the house to make it suitable for his family. In 1913 electricity was installed throughout the house. This early electrical system consisted of cloth bound wires and mother of pearl switches still seen throughout the house. As well as updating the lighting, he also updated the heating system, installing steam radiators in almost every room of the main house. In the formal rooms he installed vents in the floors to provide heating. The last owner of the property, Armistead Peter 3rd did not replace any of these early 20th century systems, but simply maintained them and repaired them as necessary. Additional electric lights and outlets were installed throughout the house during the 20th century, and older furnaces were replaced as they wore out. Today the majority of steam radiators and pipes within the house date to 1914 and are at the end of their life span. The electrical system uses wires, switches and conduits from almost every decade of the 20th century.