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Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings

	TUDOR PLACE District of Columbia
1644 31st Street NW., Washington. Travel Itinerary Tudor Place

Ownership and Administration. Privately owned.

Significance. This two-story mansion, also known as Tudor Mansion and Tudor Hall, which sits on the crest of a knoll in Georgetown, is of historical, as well as architectural interest, because of its association with the Washington, Custis, Lee, and Peter families.

Between 1794 and about 1805 Francis Loundes, wealthy tobacco merchant who planned an imposing mansion, built two unconnected wings of the house. In the latter year Thomas Peter and his wife, Martha Parke Custis, granddaughter of Mrs. George Washington, purchased the unfinished house and 8-acre tract. They retained Dr. William Thornton, architect of the Capitol and the Octagon House, to design a central building joining the wings. He chose an ellipse, a modified version of which he had used for the Capitol and the Octagon House. Tall Doric columns extending almost to the second story supported the dome roof. Construction of the center portion occurred between 1807 and 1816.

Brittania Peter, one of Thomas' daughters, was a popular belle of Georgetown and one of the bridesmaids at the wedding in Arlington House of her first cousin, Mary Ann Randolph Custis, to Robert E. Lee. In 1842 Brittania married Commodore Beverly Kennon, who subsequently died. After her parents' death, she inherited the estate and lived at Tudor Place with her daughter, Martha Custis Kennon. In 1867 Martha married a distant cousin, Dr. Armistead Peter, and the house has remained in the Peter family ever since. In the 19th century, Tudor Place, a center of Georgetown society, entertained the Marquis de Lafayette, George Mason, various leaders of the Federalist Party, and Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Present Appearance. Tudor Place remains today essentially the same as originally constructed. It is a two-story structure, built of stuccoed brick, painted pale buff. The exterior is unchanged except for a slight modification in the second-story balcony. The only change in the interior is the addition of a large kitchen in the central portion and bathrooms in each wing. The original kitchen with its equipment has been maintained. The formal entrance on the north opens into a central hallway, crossed by a transverse hallway. In the angles of the T are spacious living rooms. The delicate plaster friezes, the marble mantelpieces, and the wide plank flooring are original. The east wing contains a conservatory adjoining a drawing room. The west wing consists of a parlor, dining room, and office.

Much of the furniture is original, and the house contains many interesting heirlooms of the Dandridge, Washington, Custis, Randolph, and Lee families. A number of interesting portraits, including some by Gilbert Stuart, hang on the walls. The gardens on the present 6-1/2-acre tract are of much interest.

NHL Designation: 12/19/60