A December 2025 ribbon-cutting ceremony at Mount Vernon marked a major milestone in the $40-million Mansion Revitalization Project: the reopening of the first and second floors of the Mansion. Gathered in front of Washington’s home, guests marked a moment years in the making.
“To know George Washington, you must know Mount Vernon,” said Anne Neal Petri, Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, upon the occasion. “We think he would be mighty pleased by what we are all going to see today.”
Mount Vernon has embarked on a landmark preservation project to ensure the Mansion's structural integrity for generations to come.
The milestone reflects a pivotal achievement in the Mansion Revitalization Project, as the house once again rests on the foundation originally intended by Washington. The work represents the largest restoration project in the history of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. “After three years of dedicated restoration work by preservation carpenters, engineers, archaeologists, collections curators, and more, we are happy to unveil a newly revitalized Mansion that will last for another 250 years,” said Petri.
“After two years of rotating room closures, the first and second floors of the Mansion are now reopened to visitors,” said Doug Bradburn, President and CEO. “In particular, we are revealing to the American people the Washingtons’ Bedchamber, that most intimate of spaces, in the way they would have known it.”
Douglas Bradburn, Mount Vernon's president and CEO, speaks during the December 2025 ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating a major milestone in the Mansion Revitalization Project. (MVLA)
Following the ceremony, preservation and archaeology experts led invited guests on tours of the Mansion, offering a first look at the newly restored Washingtons’ Bedchamber and sharing insights into the research and craftsmanship behind the work.
“We brought the best research techniques in architectural history, preservation, archaeology, history, and curatorial practice to restore the interior of the Mansion to the most accurate depiction of the world the Washingtons knew,” Bradburn said.
As the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of American independence, the revitalized Mansion stands ready to welcome visitors once again, offering a renewed opportunity to experience George Washington’s home as he knew it.
Amanda Isaac, chief curator of Fine and Decorative Arts, speaks with invited guests in the little passage outside the Washingtons’ Bedchamber, sharing insights into the restoration of the bedchamber and adjacent spaces during post-ceremony tours. (MVLA)
A December 2025 ribbon-cutting ceremony at Mount Vernon marked a major milestone in the $40-million Mansion Revitalization Project.
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