PUBLIC NOTICE Regarding the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Section 106 Review of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America Installation of an Upgraded, Energy Efficient HVAC System for Dumbarton House Project The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America (National Society) a grant to replace and improve the existing climate control system in the historic Dumbarton House in order to better protect the collection, the historic structure, and the environment. NEH is an independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the Humanities. This public notice is issued as part of NEH’s responsibilities under 36 C.F.R. Part 800, the regulations which implement Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended, 16 U.S.C. § 470. NEH, a funding agency, is required by regulation to identify and assess the effects of any proposed actions on historic properties. If any proposed action will have an adverse effect on historic resources, NEH works with the appropriate parties to seek ways to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any adverse effects. Additionally, the Section 106 regulations require NEH to consider the views of the public on preservation issues when making final decisions that affect historic properties. In its grant application, the National Society proposed to protect collections in the historic Dumbarton House by:
Installing a new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system to allow varying temperature and humidity levels for storage, office, and program spaces. Drilling geothermal wells, restoring windows and installing storm windows, removing and replacing a retaining wall, and constructing small enclosed mechanical structures.
Built in 1798-1799, Dumbarton House was originally restored in 1931 by experts Horace Peaslee and Fiske Kimball and opened to the public in 1932. The property, located in the Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Georgetown, is 1.2 acres, with landscaped gardens, a parking lot, and structures including Dumbarton House, a 20th-century garage, and a small walled area housing mechanical equipment. In 1915, the historic house was relocated (uphill less than a mile) and set over a basement foundation. First floor period rooms include a dining room, parlor, lower passage, breakfast room, and bed chamber, and the second floor includes a bedchamber, an upper passage, and three galleries. Two wings built in 1915 contain the visitor’s center gallery, offices, a kitchenette, and meeting space, and the basement level has offices, restrooms, collection storage areas, and the boiler. A sub-basement stretching under the patio was added in 1990-1992 and serves as meeting and event space. Dumbarton House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 28, 1991. In a letter dated July 28, 2016, the Government of the District of Columbia State Historic Preservation Office wrote: “The DC State Historic Preservation Office (DC SHPO) has reviewed the above-referenced federal undertaking(s) in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and has determined that: This project will have no adverse effect on historic properties…Much of the work is restorative, the rest having very minor impact on the appearance and fabric of the property. In consultation with our office, the property was surveyed