Restore Montpelier

In December 2003, the Montpelier Foundation launched a complete restoration of the Montpelier mansion, the home of James Madison, Father of the Constitution, author of the Bill of Rights, fourth President, and chief architect of the American Republic. The decision to restore was based primarily on the importance of James Madison to the formation of the U.S. government. An 18-month state-of-the-art architectural and archaeological investigation revealed that much of the Madison-era home was intact within the duPont additions.

With the restoration, the mansion is being returned in size, structure, form, and finishes to the home that James and Dolley Madison knew in the 1820s.

The restoration project has already removed alterations made to the Montpelier mansion after President Madison's death in 1836. A majority of the removals involved taking off the two large wings that had been added onto the mansion by the duPont family in the early 1900s, thereby reducing the mansion from 55 rooms to 22 rooms. Portions of the home are open to visitors during restoration, providing guests with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the restoration of the lifelong home of an American president and patriot.

Visitors are able to see Madison furniture, as well as vignettes from the restored house - the Madison dining room - at special exhibits in Montpelier's Education Center, located just beyond the back lawn of mansion. During restoration, Montpelier is also offering special Restoration Tours of the mansion and guided walking tours of the estate's landscape.