The Dumbarton House

The Historic Dumbarton House at Georgetown

Dumbarton House is a fine example of Federal period architecture and offers visitors to Washington, D.C., a unique opportunity to enhance their appreciation of early American history.

Closely connected to the first years of the American Republic, the house has stood on the heights of Georgetown for over two centuries. The museum rooms of the house are always open at events, providing your guests with a unique opportunity for casual touring of the museum.

Belle Vue Banquet Room

While rental for events allows you use of the entire building and grounds, dinners and receptions are generally held in the Belle Vue Room and our outdoor gardens and terraces.

The Belle Vue Room is an elegant modern banquet space with light wood-paneled floors, walls paneled in pale yellow fabric, and thirteen foot white coffered ceilings. The banquet space is also adjoined by a beautiful courtyard area that can be tented to provide additional dining space.

Federal Period Collection

Dumbarton House's collection over 1,000 original, unique and interesting pieces including furniture, paintings, textiles, silver, and ceramics, consists primarily, but not exclusively, of objects dating from the Federal period of U.S. history (approximately 1790-1830).

French Furniture & Chippendale Collection

There are a few pieces from the earlier Chippendale period, such as a large English Chippendale linen press that belonged to the Lewis-Washington family, as well as a few examples of Louis XVI French furniture, reflecting the late 18th and early 19th century taste in American. The works of American cabinetmakers from the New England states to South Carolina, comprise the major portion of the Dumbarton House furniture collection.

Dumbarton House Restoration Projects

Restoration projects aimed at returning Dumbarton House to the simplicity of its original Federal design were begun in 1931, three years after the property was acquired by The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America.

The original roofline had been altered in the early nineteenth century. Alterations most in need of correction had been made in the early years of the twentieth century, when the simplicity of the Federal design was hidden in an appliqué of Georgian quoins, balustrades and small paned windows.

Rental Policies to Note

The Museum is the gracious entry point for your guests, but food and beverage are not permitted inside the Museum itself. Red wine and red beverages are not permitted at any open bar, but may be served at a seated dinner.

Event Insurance is required as liability for your guests, and may be acquired via wedsafe.com, or rvnuccio.com.

Tenting on the Lower Courtyard, adjacent to the interior Belle Vue Room, is required as a rain plan for an event hosting over 80 guests for a seated event, and over 140 guests for a cocktail. Sugarplum Tent Co. is currently the only vendor we require rental hosts to use.