Located at the highest point in Georgetown, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library & Collection, an offshoot of Harvard University, is more than just a library. It also has lovely historic gardens, an art museum and a music room, the site of frequent lectures and concerts. The Research Library focuses on Byzantine, Pre-Columbian and Garden & Landscape Studies, and includes a rare book collection. The gardens are well worth a visit. There are weekly and monthly guided tours, or you can simply make your own way among the many enclosed gardens, paths and terraces. Admission to the museum, which features collections of Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art as well as European masterpieces, is free to the public.

This stunning estate with sprawling formal gardens wouldn’t look out of place in one of the grand old European capitals. Instead, the opulent brick-walled property sits on the hills above Washington, D.C., now housing a Harvard research library and one of the most under-appreciated museum collections in town. If you’ve heard of Dumbarton Oaks before it is likely vis-a-vis its connection with the 1944 conference that lead to the formation of the United Nations. For 47 days during the end stages of World War II, allied diplomats hashed out postwar objectives and rifle-toting guards patrolled the grounds. Today the estate has traded geopolitical conflict for academics and the arts. The Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and collection holds stunning exhibitions of Byzantine and pre-Columbian art, a collection of medieval and Renaissance art and furniture, and an immaculately landscaped garden. The original mansion has been expanded with several new wings, and each section has its own distinct design.The Byzantine art is housed in a Greek-inspired space complete with columns and mosaics; the pre-Columbian work in an elegantly finished modern space full of glass and light; and the medieval and Renaissance work is in a display space that was a part of the original residence. The land that Dumbarton Oaks sits on was once part of the Rock of Dumbarton grant that Queen Anne made to Ninian Beall in 1701. Around a century later, the first house was built on the property, and it was greatly expanded and renamed The Oaks in the middle of the 19th century. Among The Oaks’ notable residents was Vice President John C. Calhoun, who actually lived in the house during his first term in office. In 1920, Mildred and Robert Wood Bliss bought the property, and christened it Dumbarton Oaks in reference to its two historic names. The Bliss family gradually expanded the property to the 54 acres it occupies today. They also collected the artwork on display today, and donated the upper 16 acres to Harvard University upon their deaths.

One block off the main drag of Wisconsin Avenue in upper Georgetown delivers you far from the madding crowds, to the peaceful refuge of Dumbarton Oaks. The estate includes a museum devoted to Byzantine and pre-Columbian art, a research center and library, and 10 acres of formal and informal gardens. Frankly, many people skip the museum altogether to wander along the garden’s hedge-lined walkways, into the orangery, past the weeping cherry trees, and all around the garden plots, admiring what’s in bloom as they go. If it’s February, you may see English daisies. April? Bluebells. August? Dahlias. The gardens are romantic, have several pretty places to perch, and also are adorned here and there with garden ornaments and artwork. The gardens can get crowded in spring and early summer, when they are at their loveliest. Do try to make time for the museum, whose galleries display 1,200 Byzantine artifacts, including jewelry, lamps, icons, and illuminated manuscripts from the 4th to the 15th centuries; and pre-Columbian objects such as Aztec stone carvings, Inca gold ornaments, and Olmec heads. Other highlights include the Flemish tapestries and an El Greco painting, The Visitation, on display in the Renaissance-style Music Room, which you’ll have to admire from the roped-off entryway. The museum’s mansion setting adds to its charm. The country house and gardens, which are situated at the highest point of Georgetown, belonged to a couple named Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss, who initiated these collections and gardens in the first half of the 20th century. The couple gave Dumbarton Oaks to Harvard University in 1940. Harvard University students, staff, and faculty can visit the gardens for free.

Sitting at the highest point in the historic Georgetown neighborhood, Dumbarton Oaks is a must see location in Washington, D.C. This 53-acre estate is the legacy of Robert Woods Bliss and his wife Mildred, philanthropists and collectors of art. In 1920, after a long and careful search, the couple purchased an old-fashioned Federal-style country house then standing in rather neglected grounds. In 1929 they added a Music Room, and some years later, built a wing to accommodate their famous Byzantine art collection. Another wing was added to hold Mr. Bliss’s collection of Pre-Columbian art. In 1921, the Blisses hired renowned landscape gardener Beatrix Farrand to create an English garden to surround the whole property. Working in close collaboration for almost thirty years, Mildred Bliss and Beatrix Farrand had planned every garden detail, each terrace, bench, urn, and border, and eventually produced a beautiful oasis within the city. In 1940, the upper sixteen acres were transferred to Harvard University to establish a research institute for Byzantine studies, Pre-Columbian studies, and studies in the history of gardens and landscape architecture. Around the same time, there was also a Garden Library added to accommodate Mrs. Bliss’s collection of rare books on the history of gardens. Today, the entire estate is run by the Trustees of Harvard University. Its art collection has been on a long term loan to the National Gallery of Art.

Dumbarton Oaksis a charming and historic estate in the Georgetown neighbourhood of Washington. The destination was the residence and gardens of Robert Woods Bliss and his wife Mildred Barnes Bliss. Today it stands as a beautiful place in the destination that you have to visit. Visit the destination and get to see some of the most amazing architecture and design in the city. A good place for history buffs the destination is sure to make your trip worthwhile.

Housed in a historic estate, this museum focuses on Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art. You can also explore some exhibitions featuring European art. Once here, you should not miss visiting the astounding gardens which surround the place. If you want to learn more, you can join one of the docent-led guided tours.