Mysterious, Decadent, Spooky or Hidden DC, Part One

An idea I had a while ago was a series of photo essays with a common theme...the strange, mysterious, spooky, decadent, bizarre, hidden parts of DC and the surrounding area. So, I decided to get started in Dumbarton Oaks.

Dumbarton Oaks, for the uninitiated, is a large estate in DC's Georgetown neighborhood. It was first established in 1702 as "Rock of Dumbarton" but was in rundown condition when purchased by Mildred and Robert Bliss in 1920. Robert was a diplomat; Mildred was an heiress to the Fletcher's Castoria fortune. They hired landscape architect Beatrix Farrand (niece of Edith Wharton) to design the stunning gardens, and used the house for their collection of Byzantine art. In 1940, they ended up donating the house and most of the grounds to Harvard, which now maintains the museum and library and research center, and another portion of the grounds to the US Park Service.

So naturally, there's lots of history here. In 1944, it was the host to the Dumbarton Oaks Conference, that laid the groundwork of the United Nations. And in 1938, Robert Bliss commissioned Igor Stravinsky to write a piece for the couple's 30th anniversary; the resulting work, Stravinsky's Concerto in E-flat, is widely known as the "Dumbarton Oaks Concerto."

So with all that, and all the guests that one can imagine visiting in its heyday, it's easy to imagine all sorts of intrigue, both personal and political. It's the sort of place that SHOULD be haunted, but off the cuff I have no idea if there are any ghost stories associated with the place. Still, for those in the District, it's a great place to go visit and imagine as the setting for some sort of tale, either one of those manor-house-style mysteries, or an M. R. Jamesian ghost story.

So, without further ado...

The main house, built in 1800. Annoyingly, admission to the gardens does not get you into the house and museum. Still, the gardens will take up a few hours anyway...


Inside the house's orangery, with the immense creeping fig that crawls over everything and dates from the 1860s. You don't want to stand still too long, as it may grab you.


The Star Garden, which was basically intended to be an outdoor dining room for the family. Lose the table and chairs and you can almost imagine black magic ceremonies going on here. In the paving there's a Chaucer quote: "Oh thou maker of the whele that bereth the sterres and tornest the hevene with a ravisshing sweigh."

There's a ton of astronomical/astrological symbolism embedded in the paving...


And in the garden's fountain...


The Urn Terrace, a few steps down, has this lovely monstrosity that looks like it was designed by Edward Gorey.


Down a flight of steps from the Urn Terrace is the jaw-dropping Rose Garden. When I was snapping photos, there was so much in bloom...






At one end, there's this bench with the Bliss family motto, Quod Severis Metes, meaning You Shall Reap What You Sow.


This bizarre fountain cools the Arbor Terrace area.


Dubbed the "Lover's Lane Pool," this is actually the estate's Garden of Histrion...that is, a private outdoor theatre. How decadent can you get? Pretty decadent...


This area is called "Mélisande's Allée" after the Debussy opera, based on the Maeterlinck play.


And this arbor walk seems like a great place for a whispered conversation.


An area known as "The Ellipse" has this lovely fountain, imported from Provence.


The strangest garden was the Pebble Court, a dry garden featuring what is basically a mosaic on a grand scale.

It also has a lovely fountain:

...and a wall of these carved wavelets...


My favorite part is this gorgeous fountain, located in a quiet corner of the garden, near the swimming pool.


But there's tons of random things to stumble on as you wander around...






And all sorts of intriguing paths...



And if you're not inclined toward mystery or ghosts or anything like that...there's corners of the garden, and nearby Dumbarton Oaks Park, that are like something out of a fairy tale...







Dumbarton Oaks, and Dumbarton Park, are gorgeous places to wander in, and definitely off the beaten DC tourist track. If you're in town this summer, set aside an afternoon to go visit. Dumbarton Oaks charges $8 admission and is open 2 pm to 6 pm from 3/15 to 10/31; other times of the year it's open 2-5 and admission is free. They're closed Mondays, federal holidays, and in bad weather. Dumbarton Park is open dawn to dusk, with no admission. They're great places to wander and let your imagination go wild. And since they're in the middle of Georgetown, it's easy to find a place for a drink or a snack afterwards.

There'll be more on the way in future weeks...so stay tuned.