Red Room

When William duPont purchased Montpelier in 1900, he significantly enlarged the house, adding thirty three rooms and 20th century conveniences including an electrical system, telephone lines, plumbing, and a central heating system. Following his death in 1928, the house was inherited by his daughter, Marion duPont Scott, whose only major change to the house was to renovate her mother’s ca. 1901 “Empire” parlor. Marion created an Art Deco inspired room, known as the “Red Room,” which she dedicated to her beloved horses and favorite equestrian sports. Her trainer and friend Carroll Bassett and her private pilot Edward Conklin contributed to the room’s design.

In the Red Room, Marion added a drop ceiling, painted silver, which featured a directional pointer attached to an external weathervane. This facilitated proper casting of the hounds for foxhunting. The Adam mantelpiece which had once adorned Annie duPont’s Empire Room was removed and replaced with a mirrored fireplace surround designed by Charlottesville architect Milton Grigg and custom-made by Corning Glass Works in New York. In place of the Empire wallpaper, two walls were covered in burlap and framed photographs of Mrs. duPont Scott’s winning thoroughbreds; the other walls featured large photographic murals depicting equestrian scenes at Montpelier. The wainscoting, built-in cabinetry, and seating were made from a new construction material of the time, plywood. The room was filled with trophies, equestrian sculptures, and porcelain figures of horses and other animals.

During the modern restoration of Montpelier, all materials from Marion’s Red Room were retained and reinstalled in this wing of the Visitor Center dedicated to the duPont ownership of Montpelier.