After the Madisons

Phase IV (1844-1901)

After Dolley Madison sold Montpelier in 1844, the property changed hands several times before its purchase by William duPont in 1901. During this period it is often difficult to pinpoint who made what changes to the house.

Mid-Century Renovations (c.1860)

Major changes to the exterior and interior were made during the ownership of Frank and Thomas Carson (1857-1881). On the exterior, the wood-shingle roof was replaced by a standing-seam metal roof, and the almost flat roofs of the wings were covered with low, standing seam metal hipped roofs. Dramatic changes were also made to the portico. The four columns of the front portico were sculpted down to the ground level and the broad 1809 stairs were replaced with a much smaller set of steps. Other changes included the brick infilling of the windows on the end walls and, most noticeably, a coating of stucco added to cover the brick exterior. On the interior, the Carsons replaced a stairway in the circa 1797 portion of the house, took out the upstairs closet in the circa 1764 portion of the building, and repainted the interior.

Renovations (c.1884)

During the 1881-1900 period, Montpelier was owned jointly by two men, Louis F. Detrick and William L. Bradley, who used Montpelier as a summer retreat for their families. Their contribution to the evolution of the Mansion included redecorating the interior to reflect the popular fashions of the time (mainly multi-colored woodwork and aesthetic-style wallpapers). They were also responsible for replacing the Madison-era chimney pieces in the drawing room and the dining room. No workmen have been identified, but contemporary newspaper clippings mention "Baltimore artisans and mechanics" as undertaking these alterations.

Phase V (1901-2003)

During the ownership by William duPont, the mansion doubled in size and again became one of the largest houses in Orange County. Most of the work occurred between 1901 and 1903 and it included raising the wings up to two stories and the construction of two large additions to the rear. William duPont would also radically alter the interior of Montpelier by reworking the floor plan, replacing the existing stairways with two new stairs, converting the garret (or attic) into servants’ housing, and installing new partitions in the cellar. The duPonts would continue their renovations of the mansion after 1903, and by circa 1910 a new attached kitchen wing had been added on the north end of the main house. The alterations to Montpelier made by the duPonts took the house from what was essentially an early 19th century house and transformed it into a large 20th century residence. It became a structure similar to the impressive rural dwellings being built by the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, and other dominant families of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

William duPont initially used a Delaware contracting firm, C. A. Perkins Brothers to make the first enlargements to the house. However, he soon exchanged Perkins Brothers for local builder and engineer George Ficklin. Ficklin would continue working at Montpelier until his death in 1917 and would be responsible for the design and construction work on the main house and most of the estate’s outbuildings.

Later duPont Additions

Between the late 20s and late 30s, Marion duPont Scott, assisted by her friend Carroll Bassett and her private pilot Edward Conklin, masterminded the renovation of the Montpelier "Red Room" in the Art Moderne style (with Charlottesville architect Milton Grigg drawing the design for the glass and mirrored mantel). This room was one of the signature spaces of Marion duPont’s Montpelier, and it was carefully disassembled and re-installed in the Montpelier Visitor Center's duPont Gallery. Scott would also make other small changes to the mansion's interior décor, but the plan and character of the dwelling remained essentially unchanged from its major circa 1902 renovations.

The Restoration (2003-2008)

In October 2003 The Montpelier Foundation announced plans to launch a complete restoration of the Montpelier mansion, returning the mansion in size, structure, form, and furnishings to the home that James and Dolley Madison knew in the 1820s. The restoration project, begun in January 2004, removed alterations made to the Montpelier mansion after President Madison's death in 1836. Restoration included removal of wings added onto the mansion by the duPont family in the early 1900s, reducing the mansion from 55 rooms to the 22-room Madison home of the 1820s.

Completion of the exterior restoration of the mansion was celebrated in April 2006. Celebration of the completion of the architectural restoration of the interior is scheduled for Constitution Day (September 17) 2008.

Portions of the home are open to visitors at all times during restoration, providing visitors with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the restoration of the lifelong home of an early American president and patriot. Montpelier is now offering special Restoration Tours of the mansion.