Journal

  • Rehabilitation of Arlington House

    14 Mar 2018 3:23 PM | Anonymous
    National Park Service News Release
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 13, 2018 
    Contact: Aaron LaRocca, 202-438-6619, aaron_larocca@nps.gov

    Rehabilitation of Arlington House entering construction phase

    Arlington House is closed for a complete restoration until January 2020

    ARLINGTON, Va. – Construction on a multi-million-dollar project to rehabilitate Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, and improve surrounding parkland begins Monday, March 19, 2018. While Arlington House is closed, park rangers invite the public to the temporary visitor center, located in the Women in Military Service of America Memorial, which is adjacent to the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery.

    The National Park Service (NPS) and National Park Foundation announced the $12.35 million restoration project made possible by businessman and philanthropist David M. Rubenstein in 2014.

    When the project is completed, visitors will see Arlington House as it was in 1860, with rooms restored to their historical appearance. Additionally, the  quarters for the enslaved people of Arlington House will be restored to better represent and tell their stories. As visitors move between the mansion and the new museum and bookstore, they will pass along accessible paths that stretch through the restored grounds, including heirloom gardens. People who cannot visit in person will enjoy a robust experience through virtual tours, complete with detailed displays of the rooms and objects that belonged to George Washington and the Lee family.

    The NPS has elicited scholars’ advice on how to present, more completely, the experience of those who were enslaved at Arlington House. The NPS is committed to sharing our nation’s history inclusively and holistically. “While Arlington House serves as a memorial to Robert E. Lee, it also stands alone in its capacity to tell the stories of our nation’s triumphs and struggles through the lens of those who called it home,” park Superintendent Alexcy Romero, said.

    The residence of Robert E. Lee and his family before the Civil War, Arlington House connects to many important figures, issues and events in American history. Built by enslaved laborers of George Washington Parke Custis between 1802 and 1818, the house and grounds have served many purposes over the last 200 years: a memorial honoring George Washington, a family home for the Lees and Custises, a plantation estate and home to 63 enslaved people, a a military headquarters for Union troops, a community for emancipated slaves and a national cemetery. With 650,000 annual visitors, Arlington House is the most visited historic house museum in the national park system. Since 1933, the NPS has managed Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial. The 16.28-acre memorial now lies within Arlington National Cemetery, which was built entirely within the historic 1,100-acre Arlington estate.

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  • David Rubenstein donates lead Centennial gift of $12.35 million to the National Park Foundation to Restore Arlington House

    18 Jul 2014 11:17 AM | Anonymous
    NPS Director Jon Jarvis, David Rubenstein, Brandon Bies, and National Park Foundation President and CEO Neil Mulholland stand before a row of columns at Arlington House.NPS Director Jon Jarvis, David Rubenstein, Brandon Bies, and National Park Foundation President and CEO Neil Mulholland stand before a row of columns at Arlington House.
    (Left to right) NPS Director Jon Jarvis, David M. Rubenstein, NPS project manager Brandon Bies, and National Park Foundation President Neil Mulholland at the announcement of Rubenstein's $12.35 million donation to restore Arlington House.
    National Park Service
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    News Release Date: July 17, 2014 
    Contact: National Park Service: Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles, 202-619-7177 
    Contact: National Park Foundation: Marjorie Hall, 202-354-6480 
    Gift exemplifies ‘Patriotic Philanthropy,’ as the 2016 National Park Service centennial approaches
    Gift is Rubenstein’s third major donation to honor the legacy of George Washington

    WASHINGTON – Today a gift made history and saved history. National Park Service (NPS) Director Jonathan B. Jarvis and National Park Foundation (NPF) President and CEO Neil Mulholland joined businessman and philanthropist David M. Rubenstein to announce Rubenstein’s $12.35 million donation, a lead gift in the National Park Foundation’s Centennial Campaign for America’s National Parks, to restore and improve access to Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, located within the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.

    The gift complements President Obama’s Centennial Initiative for the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016, a multi-year effort to invest wisely in the park system’s most important assets, use parks to enhance informal learning, engage volunteers, provide training opportunities to youth and enhance the National Park Service’s ability to leverage partnerships to accomplish its mission.

    “Arlington House, originally constructed to memorialize George Washington, tells America’s story from its founding, to the shame of slavery and a nation divided, to a nation again made whole,” Jarvis said. “We are honored by Mr. Rubenstein’s patriotism, his generous gift, and his dedication to the future of America’s treasures. We are eager to start the transformation that his ‘patriotic philanthropy’ will make possible.” 

    When the projects are completed, visitors will see Arlington House as it was in 1860, with every room restored to its historical appearance. An important aspect of this project is to restore the slave quarters to better represent and tell the stories of the enslaved. Visitors will learn from park rangers and volunteers, or via new mobile and web assets, in addition to audio tours and changing exhibitions. As visitors move between the mansion and the new museum and bookstore, they will pass along accessible paths that stretch through the restored grounds, including heirloom gardens and new trails. People who cannot visit in person will enjoy a more robust experience through virtual tours, complete with detailed displays of the rooms and museum objects. 

    Rubenstein said, “I am honored to support the National Park Service’s renovation of historic Arlington House built in honor of George Washington and located on hallowed ground atop Arlington National Cemetery. I hope that upon its restoration, Arlington House will appropriately remind visitors of America’s rich history and our country’s good fortune to have such a unique site to honor our veterans, especially those who gave the last full measure of devotion on behalf of this nation.”

    The National Park Foundation, as the official charity of America’s national parks and nonprofit partner of the NPS received the gift that will make the critical projects at the memorial possible. 

    Mr. Rubenstein has set the tone for a new era of investment in America’s national parks. For 100 years, generous philanthropists have stepped forward to keep the national parks beautiful, vital and accessible. Rubenstein’s donation is the largest gift associated with the NPF’s Centennial Campaign. In preparation for the milestone anniversary, NPS Director Jarvis has asked the NPF to spearhead and implement the Centennial Public Engagement and National Fundraising Campaigns. Through these efforts, NPS and NPF will celebrate the NPS’s centennial and reintroduce the NPS’s work and opportunities to a new generation of Americans, inviting them to protect America’s special places, working together to connect all people to their parks, and inspiring the next generation of park stewards to visit and get involved with their national parks. 

    “Mr. Rubenstein’s transformative philanthropic support will not only restore and rejuvenate Arlington House, enlivening it for new audiences, but it also provides an inspiring example of how public-private partnership is vital to ensure these special places thrive,” Neil Mulholland, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation said. “America’s national parks belong to each and every one of us, and, as such, we share the responsibility to protect and preserve them now and for the next generation.” 

    The residence of Robert E. Lee and his family before the Civil War, the story of Arlington House connects to many important figures, issues and events in American history. Built by George Washington Parke Custis and his slaves between 1802 and 1818, the house and grounds have served many purposes over the last 200 years: a family home for the Lees and Custises, a plantation estate and home to 63 slaves, a monument honoring George Washington, a military headquarters for Union troops, a community for emancipated slaves and a national cemetery. With 650,000 visitors per year, Arlington House is the most visited historic house museum in the national park system. 

    ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
    More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 401 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at: www.nps.gov. 

    ABOUT DAVID RUBENSTEIN 
    David M. Rubenstein is Co-CEO of The Carlyle Group, a global alternative asset manager based in Washington, DC. He is also Chairman of the Boards of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Duke University, a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution, Co-Chairman of the Brookings Institution, Vice-Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations and President of the Economic Club of Washington. In 2012, Rubenstein donated $7.5 million to repair the earthquake-damaged Washington Monument, which reopened to the public in May 2014, and in 2013 he donated $10 million to George Washington’s Mount Vernon home to support the construction and endowment of a library to house Washington’s books and papers and to serve as a center for leadership training. 

  • 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812

    17 Jul 2012 12:15 PM | Anonymous
    My favorite first lady, the spunky and brilliant Dolly Madison, loads wagons with the White House treasures, including the portrait of George Washington which she has yanked down and hurled on top of the load, and scoots out of Washington just head of the marauding British...well behind her husband the President.  Thank you, Dolly!

    Come up to the House on SATURDAY JULY 28 for a free and fascinating day of National Park Service activities. Special talks will focus on the Baltimore riots, General Lingan, General "Light-Horse" Harry Lee, and walking tours will visit the graves of War of 1812 notables.

    The Fort McHenry Guard Fife and Drum Corps and United States Corps of Artillery will present demonstrations of music and musket and cannon firing. The program schedule will be posted on the National Park Service Arlington House website: www.nps.gov/arho.

  • What an Incredible Fireworks, Music and Dinner Extravaganza!

    05 Jul 2012 12:11 PM | Anonymous
    Yes, it was hot.  But the breeze off the river was lovely and the camaraderie, music, delicious food and spectacular fireworks combined for an unforgettable evening.  My favorite part was the perfect timing of the band to the grand finale of the fireworks, with the National Anthem playing in perfect sequence to the exploding lights.  That, and the deviled eggs!  A special thank to the many volunteers who gave tours dressed in period--yes that is right, wool! --- garb throughout the evening.  The house restoration is coming along and it was great to share our progress - -and our goals!

  • The Fourth of July Fireworks Fundraiser is almost here!

    05 Jun 2012 11:36 AM | Anonymous
    We are so excited to have the cooperation of the U.S. Army and the National Park Service to permit our exclusive use of Arlington House for watching fireworks on the National Mall....from the moment you are cleared to drive up through the gates at Memorial Drive, this becomes the most magical DC event you can imagine.

    Join us!

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