Centennial Challenge

We want to hear from you! The National Park Service will provide an opportunity for the general public and partner groups in the National Capital Region to provide ideas and recommendations for long-term goals, projects, and programs that are most important for the NPS to undertake in the future. To participate, plan to attend a Public Listening Meeting for the Centennial Challenge on March 27, 2007, from 5-7 p.m., at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in Arlington, VA. Or, learn more about the initiative and make comments at http://www.nps.gov/2016.

The Arlington House Mansion to Temporarily Close Weekdays from November 2 through November 22, 2006

The National Park Service will temporarily close the Arlington House Mansion at Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial weekdays only, beginning Thursday, November 2, and ending Wednesday, November 22, 2006. The Mansion will be open to the public on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) during this period. Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, including the mansion portico, the kitchen garden, flower garden, Slave Quarters and bookstore, will remain open. The Arlington House mansion will also be open on Thanksgiving.

This limited closure is designed to safeguard the museum collection while it is being packed and transported to another National Park Service site for temporary display in anticipation of safety and infrastructure work scheduled for 2007.

The museum collection consists of over 3,300 objects including personal items, books, and furniture once owned by the Lee family. Most of these objects will be placed on temporary display at Friendship Hill National Historic Site, Albert Gallatin’s 1789 Pennsylvania home. This action not only ensures continued public access, but will also save up to $200,000 per year in museum storage costs.

Following the collections move, the National Park Service will initiate restoration projects inside the Arlington House mansion. Improvements include lead paint abatement, plaster and window repair, and painting and rehabilitation of original flooring. Anticipated design work will address the installation of a new fire suppression system and improvements that will offer increased protection from damages caused by a lack of ventilation and humidity control.

During restoration work, visitors will be allowed unprecedented access to areas of the mansion where there are no construction related safety concerns. Park rangers will offer new tours on the architectural significance of the mansion and the unique construction elements associated with Robert E. Lee’s 204 year old home