ARLINGTON HOUSE Historic Structures Report Phase II

A. Name: Robert E. Lee Memorial (Arlington House)

Number: 270

Location: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

Management Category: 1A

Proposed Treatment: Preservation

B. Proposed Use: The mansion, its outbuildings and immediate site have been, since 1925, an official memorial to Robert E. Lee. It is being appropriately furnished and is used as a museum through which tours, both guided and unguided, are conducted. The site is open to visitors from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily, April through September and from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., October through March.

C. Identification of the planning documents prescribing the proposed treatment and use:

1. NPS List of Classified Structures, No. 00059—270.

2. Development/Study Package Proposal, "Prepare Historic Structures Report And Stabilize," 10/31/77.

3. Arlington House, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Package #506 — Task Directive, February 1980.

4. Arlington House, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Package #506 — Task Directive Amendment, November 19, 1981.

JOINT RESOLUTION OF CONGRESS AUTHORIZING THE RESTORATION OF THE LEE MANSION IN ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, VIRGINIA, (PUBLIC RESOLUTION NO. 74 — 68TH CONGRESS) (H. J. RES. 264)—Approved March 4, 1925.

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of War be, and he is hereby authorized and directed, as nearly as may be practicable, to restore the Lee Mansion in the Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, to the condition in which it existed immediately prior to the Civil War and to procure, if possible, articles of furniture and equipment which were in the Mansion and in use by occupants thereof. He is also authorized, in his discretion, to procure replicas of the furniture and other articles in use in the Mansion during the period mentioned, with a view to restoring, as far as may be practicable, the appearance of the interior of the Mansion to the condition of its occupancy by the Lee family.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Description

Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee National Memorial, is located in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial and Washington, D.C. The house occupies a prominent site on a wooded hill, and can be seen from many points in the capital city. Since the Civil War, the house has been surrounded by the Arlington National Cemetery. On the former grounds of the house are located the tombs of many famous American military leaders, the Kennedy Gravesites, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. As a property administered by the National Park Service, Arlington House falls under the jurisdiction of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

Arlington House, an outstanding landmark for more than a century and a half, is unique in its association with the families of Washington, Custis, and Lee. Its builder, George Washington Parke Custis, was the foster son of George Washington and the father-in-law of Robert E. Lee. Custis, an exceptional figure in early nineteenth-century America in his own right, stands as a link between two of this nation's great men.

The Arlington estate, named after the Custis family's homestead on Virginia's Eastern Shore, was built on 1,100 acres purchased by George Washington Parke Custis' father in 1778. The house plans are attributed to George Hadfield, a young English architect in charge of the construction of the capitol. The north wing was built in 1802 and the south wing followed two years later. The large center section with the portico, completing an imposing front 140 feet long, was finished from 1817 to 1819.

The main body of the Greek Revival house is rectangular and rises two stories over a full basement. The massive portico fronting on the east facade represents one of the earliest examples of the use of the colonial order on a private residence. The wings to the north and south are one story in height, with the north wing having a full basement and the south wing having a basement under all rooms but the conservatory. The entire house is of brick construction covered with a plaster scored ashlar. From photographs taken during the Civil War, it can be seen that much of the exterior was streaked with paint to resemble marble. It is assumed that the outbuildings adjacent to the house, symmetrically placed to the west of the main structure, were designed and built contemporary with the house itself.

Arlington House is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Due to its status as a National Park Service Historic Site, Arlington House was automatically included in the National Register at its creation in 1966. In addition, supporting documentation on the house for the Register was completed on April 16, 1980. Projects affecting the house are subject to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's "Procedures for the Protection of the Historic and Cultural Environments" (36 CFR Part 800). Procedures necessary to ensure compliance of all work described herein with Section 106 of the Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and Executive Order 11593 will be executed by the Denver Service Center and the National Capital Region staffs. Technical data required for the compliance process will be provided by the professionals in charge of the various aspects of the work. Since the architectural and archeological investigations affected cultural resources, clearance was obtained before these aspects of work took place. Additional clearance will be obtained before any future construction for restoration can begin.

Arlington House is recorded under Management Category 1A in the National Park Service List of Classified Structures (LCS). The LCS recommends preservation of the interior and exterior.

Arlington House, both by its historical associations with famous Americans and its architectural significance as one of the nation's finest examples of the nineteenth century's "revival" periods, possesses in abundance the integrity and authenticity which justify the highest level of investigation and preservation treatment.

Concurrent related studies undertaken by the Northeast Team of the Denver Service Center to be published are as follows:

A. Historic Structure Report, Historical Data Section, Arlington House (The Custis-Lee Mansion), Virginia, Vol. I, 1802-1933, by Charles W. Snell;

B. Historic Structure Report, Historical Data Section, Arlington House (The Custis-Lee Mansion), Virginia, Vol. II, 1933-1979, by Charles W. Snell;

C. Arlington House, Historic Structure Report, Architectural Data Section (Phase I), by H. Lee Arnest III;

D. Archeological Excavations at Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, Arlington County, Virginia, by John F. Pousson;

E. Engineering Study of Central Block Roof Support System, by Patrick Macdonald.