Timeline of Stratford Hall's
First Restoration Period

1929: RELMA Purchases Stratford Hall

In 1929, the Robert E Lee Memorial Foundation (now the Robert E Lee Memorial Association) purchased Stratford Hall.

1932-1936: Roof & Chimney Platforms

In 1932 & 1933, temporary repairs were made to the chimney stacks. From 1933 to 1934, repairs were made to the roof of the Great House. Structural repairs were made to the chimneys and chimney platforms from 1935 to 1936.

1933-1938: Dining Room & Alcove

The restoration of the Dining Room and Alcove was debated from 1933, when work was first authorized to begin, until 1938 when the restoration actually began. After the 1933 authorization to begin work, the restoration was suspended and only temporary finishes were completed. In October 1936, a motion was passed to restore the space to the Henry ‘Light-Horse Harry’ Lee period, but a year later the decision was made to instead restore the space to the Thomas Lee Period. The restoration was completed by October of 1938. 

1933: Southeast Outbuilding

The Southeast Outbuilding, also known as the Kitchen Building, was the first dependency to be restored. In October of 1932, plans were drawn up for the restoration and work began in February of 1933. By May of 1933, the restoration was almost complete, with the exception of the doors, painting and electrical. By October of 1933, work was complete. 

1933-1934: Birth Chamber & Nursery

The Birth Chamber and Nursery were one of the first projects completed during the first restoration. Early on it was determined to restore this space to the time of Robert E. Lee’s birth year, as this was believed to be the space where he was born. The restoration was done in 3 phases, with work completed by December of 1934.  

1934: Great Hall

Of all the rooms in the Great House, the Great Hall is the least touched by the first restoration. From May to September of 1934, work was completed on the north and south doorways, windows, cupboards and painting. Original features in the Great Hall include; the floors, the woodwork (wainscot, pilasters, entablature, cornice, window seats, interior doors and jambs and interior window shutters), and some hardware.

1935: South Stairs

In May of 1935, the demolition of the south stairs was approved, and plans were drafted for their restoration. In June of 1935 authorization was given to proceed with the construction of the south stairs, and construction was completed by October of that year.

1935: East Passage

Restoration began on the East Passage in March of 1935, with minor alteration made in 1938. The 1938 changes included the removal of the federal period transom over the exterior door. 

1936-1937: Southwest Outbuilding

Plans first began for the restoration of the Southwest Outbuilding in October of 1932. In October of 1934, the House Restoration Committee requested that the building be restored as soon as funds were available. In July of 1936, Fiske Kimball, an American architect and architectural historian, was authorized to conduct more research on the building and to begin to prepare plans for the restoration. Work began in November of 1936 and was completed by May of 1937.

1937-1938: Exterior Restoration

In June of 1937, Fiske Kimball was given approval to prepare specifications for the exterior restoration of the Great House. In September of that year, contractors Claiborne & Taylor were authorized to begin the exterior restoration. This work included adding underpinning to the Great House foundation, replacing the cornice (while keeping the original dentils), and work on the doors and windows. At this time, it was determined that the exterior of the Great House would be restored to the Thomas Lee Period (Colonial Period, First Period of the Great House).

1938: West Passage

In June of 1938, all the main floor rooms had been restored with the exception of the West Passage. Work was authorized to begin in October of 1938 and was completed by December of the same year.

1938: Library & Library Closet

In March of 1938, authorization was given for the restoration of the remaining rooms on the main floor. It was determined that the southwest rooms would be restored to the Thomas Lee Period. The Great House’s library can still be seen in its Fiske Kimball restoration form.

1938: Parlor & Parlor Closet

It was difficult to reach consensus on a time period for restoration of the Parlor and Parlor Closet. Investigations found many of the original colonial period features behind the federal period finishes. By the time the restoration was complete in June of 1938, a decision on treatment had still not been reached, leaving a room with both colonial and federal elements. Today, the Parlor is restored to the federal period, and the Parlor Closet is restored to the stair passage of the ‘Light-Horse Harry’ Lee period. 

1938: Ground Floor

Preliminary structural restoration of the Ground Floor was completed in 1933, but it wasn’t until October of 1937 that authorization was given to prepare detailed plans for a full restoration. Work began in January of 1938 and was completed by April of 1938.

1938: Northeast & Northwest Outbuilding

The Northeast and Northwest Outbuildings received funding for restoration in January of 1937, and it was determined that the two would be restored at the same time as they were identical. In July of 1937, work began. 

1938: Stables & Coach house 

The Stables and Coach House was restored in multiple phases. The first phase was structural repairs to the remaining part of the stables. The second phase was the interior restoration of the stables. The third phase was the reconstruction of the Coach House.

1940: North Stairs

In October of 1937, a motion was passed stating “[t]hat if Mr. Kimball’s investigations prove to his satisfaction that the north steps were a duplicate of the south steps, that he be authorized to construct the same when funds were available.” However, during the excavation around the South Stairs, it was discovered that the architectural evidence did not support the design submitted by Kimball. The design was approved anyway and, in June of 1940, authorization was given to construct the north stairs.

1940: East & West Stairs

While the east & west steps were not completed until 1940, plans for their removal and reconstruction began in May of 1935. Plans were first submitted at the October 1935 council meeting. Over the next 5 years, plans were submitted and deferred multiple times. In October of 1939, a donation was made for the restoration of the exterior stairs, plans were submitted in January of 1940, and the stairs were completed by October of the same year.