Dumbarton Oaks Hardscape Survey
Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection is a Harvard University–affiliated research institute, library, museum, and garden located in Washington, DC. The estate was originally the home and private collection of American philanthropists and art collectors Robert and Mildred Bliss. After moving to Dumbarton Oaks full time in 1933, the Blisses began transforming the property into a center for scholarship and public engagement. The grounds featured world-class art collections and an extraordinary garden designed by Mildred Bliss in close collaboration with renowned landscape architect Beatrix Farrand. In 1940, the property was formally endowed and donated to Harvard University. Today, Dumbarton Oaks supports advanced research in Byzantine, Pre-Columbian, Garden, and Landscape studies—fields that reflected the Blisses’ personal passions.
EverGreene was commissioned to conduct a comprehensive survey and conditions assessment of outdoor sculpture, landscape features, and architectural ornament across the estate’s 16.5 acres. The project established treatment priorities, recommendations, and cost estimates to support long-term conservation planning. The assessment produced the site’s first complete catalog of outdoor objects (excluding paths and walls) and documented the condition of 247 features, including arbors, benches, plaques, sculpture, mosaic walls, urns, fountains, gates, railings, lanterns, and more. Many of these elements were designed by Beatrix Farrand in the 1930s and her successor Ruth Havey in the 1960s, while others date from the late 17th through 19th centuries.
Three years later, EverGreene returned to perform a detailed reassessment of five significant artworks: the Arbor Terrace Arbor, Grape Arbor, Trompe L’Oeil Perspective Lattice, Star Garden Marble Fountain, and Horseshoe Step Fountain and Niche Bench. This phase included in-depth documentation, restoration recommendations, and updated cost estimates.
EverGreene also evaluated the estate’s historic fountain systems to guide infrastructure improvements while safeguarding original stone and metal elements. Following the initial studies, Dumbarton Oaks engaged the team to develop treatment plans and specifications to implement the recommended work.
