Belmont Manor House

Infobox_nrhp
name = Belmont
nrhp_type = nhl


caption =
nearest_city = Ashburn, Virginia
locmapin = Virginia
area =
built =1799
architect= Unknown
architecture= Federal
added = February 08, 1980
governing_body = Private
refnum=80004198cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

Belmont Manor House, formally known as Belmont Plantation, is a two-story, five-part Federal mansion, was built between the years of 1799-1802 by Ludwell Lee (1760-1836), son of Richard Henry Lee. The land surrounding the mansion, the Belmont property, was handed down to his first wife (also his first cousin), Flora Lee, from their grandfather, Thomas Lee. Located in Loudoun County, Ashburn, Virginia, the Belmont property and the Belmont Manor House are owned by Toll Brothers, Inc. (since 1995), where the Manor House serves as the clubhouse in a gated golf community. The property and house are listed in the National Register of Historic Places (80004198), which are preserved by the National Park Service.

History

This plantation has been passed down and visited by many notable figures in history including President James Madison in 1812. The President was said to use the plantation as a safe haven throughout the War of 1812 since the British attacked Washington, D.C. Another figure that visited the plantation was General and diplomat La Fayette, who came to the Manor home to visit Ludwell Lee in 1825.

The Manor home is located at the highest pointFact|date=September 2008 in Loudoun County with extraordinary views of the surrounding hills and mountain ranges of the approaches to the nearby town of Leesburg, Virginia and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In 1836 the Belmont home was purchased from Lee by Margaret Mercer, a women whose intentions were to transform the house into a women's Christian school. Afterwards the home was bought by Kansas governor Frederick Staunton and the McLean family. The McLean family is highly recognized as the owners of the Hope Diamond.

In 1931, the house was bought by Patrick J. Hurley and his wife. Hurley is widely known as the Secretary of War under President Herbert Hoover's term of office. Only 32 years later was the property bought by IBM Corporation and became their management retreat center. By the late 1980s, the house had falled into grave disrepair and required major renovation, with extensive damage to the inside.Fact|date=September 2008

In 1995, Toll Brothers, Inc. purchased the property to build a golf community gated community around it, while using the renovated Manor home as a clubhouse, which also received an extensive addition to incorporate restaurants and the club house, all within the overall architectural theme and style of the original home. Within the original home, despite the damage sustained from years of neglect, various bas relief artworks and plasterwork remained in place and, in careful reconstruction, was brought back to its original quality.

Appearance

The Belmont Manor house is sits on the peak of the plantation property and one of the highest points in Eastern Loudoun County. It has many panoramic views of the countryside and the Blue Ridge Mountains. This house was traditionally home comprising of a “rich equestrian tradition,” steeplechase racing, and fox hunting.

The main entrance is encased with a portico with two Doric columns on either side, elaborate and decorative detail throughout. The first floor consists of a large center hall, the foyer, which is encased on either side by two large reception rooms that are all decorated with paneled wainscoting. The reception rooms on the East and West side both have their own fireplace with mantels that said to be gifts to Lafayette in 1825. The stairway is an ornamental structure in the center hall section that is comprised of a “molded handrail and thin, square balusters, three to a step.” On the second floor, there are bedrooms with ornamental federal style woodwork, along with a fancy bath. The appearance of the house itself remains mostly unchanged from when it was built in the beginning of the 19th century. It still stands today in excellent condition with only one major modification and remodeling in the year of 1907.POV-statement|date=March 2008 The only buildings surrounding the Manor house that are still standing today is a small, stone smokehouse. A cemetery sits on the west side of the manor house with the grave of Ludwell Lee.

References

*cite web
title = Belmont Plantation
publisher = NetArtifex LIc.
date = © 1996-2006
url = http://www.ashburnweb.com/history/belmont.htm
accessdate = 2008-02-21
*cite web
title = National Registrar of Historic Places Inventory: Nomination Form
publisher = National Park Service
date = 1977-08-22
url = http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Loudoun/053-0106_Belmont_1980_Final_Nomination.pdf
accessdate = 2008-02-26
*cite web
last =
first =
title = History: Belmont Manor House
publisher = Toll Brothers, Inc.
date = © 1996-2008
url = http://www.belmontcountryclub.com/history.shtml
accessdate = 2008-02-21
*Citation
last = Gordon
first = Evelyn Peyton
title = Hurley's Luncheon Hosts at Estate Near Leesburg
newspaper = The Washington Post
pages = 10
year = 1935
date = June 3
url = http://mutex.gmu.edu:2068/pqdweb?index=0&did=252721792&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=10&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=HNP&TS=1204068804&clientId=31810