Dumbarton Oaks

Dumbarton Oaks is a historic country house in the Federal style, built in 1800 in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The estate, surrounded by extensive gardens, was purchased in 1920 by Robert Woods Bliss and his wife, Mildred Barnes Bliss. The roughly 10-acre gardens were created between 1922 and 1947 under the direction of landscape architect Beatrix Farrand. They are divided into several areas, including terraces built into a hillside, formal rose gardens, and natural zones such as Cherry Hill. The entire property is open to the public and offers visitors a peaceful retreat in the middle of the nation's capital.

Inside the house, the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection holds major art collections that specialize primarily in Byzantine and pre-Columbian art. The Byzantine collection is considered one of the most important in the world and features works in gold, silver, enamel, and ivory that recall medieval treasuries. Among them are ancient mosaics from Antioch as well as parts of the Sion Treasure. The pre-Columbian collection, which stretches geographically from Mexico to the Andes, is displayed in its own wing of eight round, glass-walled pavilions that opened in 1963.

Beyond its exhibits, the estate is also known as a center of study dedicated to Byzantine studies, the research of pre-Columbian cultures, and the history of landscape architecture. The library holds more than 100,000 volumes and hosts both permanent scholars and fellows. Historically, the house was also the site of the Dumbarton Oaks Conference in 1944, which laid the groundwork for the founding of the United Nations.