Dumbarton Oaks’s gardens reopen

Since July 2017, the gardens at Georgetown’s Dumbarton Oaks museum have been closed for stormwater remediation efforts. Starting this Thursday, the gardens are now reopened.

When the gardens closed, Current Newspapers reported that the nearly 100-year-old terra cotta pipes needed to be replaced with a more durable material. The construction project also retrofitted fountains and pools, and landscape features were added to reduce erosion in the gardens and lower parks.

According to local blog the Georgetown Metropolitan, the public will be charged admission to be able to wander through the popular green space. For multiple trips over the coming months, Dumbarton Oaks offers season passes at the cost of $75 for one individual, $95 for two adults, and $110 for two adults and up to three children or students.

The landscape designer behind the gardens was none other than Beatrix Farrand, who was the only founding woman member of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1899. She is also known for having designed the East Garden at the White House during the Wilson administration. The gardens at Dumbarton Oaks first opened in 1939 and currently span 27 acres with features that include a rose garden, orangery, orchard of fruit trees, ellipse with a fountain, and a catalogue house that exhibits historic photographs.

• Reopening of the Garden [Dumbarton Oaks]

• Dumbarton Oaks Gardens Open Soon [The Georgetown Metropolitan]

• Dumbarton Oaks’ gardens closed until March 2018 [Curbed DC]

• Dumbarton Oaks closes gardens for pipe project [Current Newspapers]