Blair House

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HOME

Buatta, who spoke about his ca-
reer and his role in redecorating Blair
House in a talk at the recent Mary-
land Antiques Show, sponsored by
the Maryland Historical Society, said
that despite the Kennedy era refur-
bishing, by the early 1980s Blair
House was in deplorable condition.
The first floor was used for recep-
tions. The other floors were not
liveable."
Initially, there was talk that the U.S.
Congress would just order the com-
plex demolished but finally, it agreed
to a restoration project. The govern-
ment allocated $8.6 million for restor-
ing and improving the buildings; an
additional $5.5 million was raised
from the public and corporate spon-
sors for the interior decoration of the
rooms.
The project lasted almost four
years, during which Blair House was
closed. The newly reopened com-
plex is now back in use, and garner-
ing rave reviews. In a recent story,
Architectural Digest pointed out that
Buatta and Han-i' pton had "the task
of melding 112 rooms in what were
originally four houses into a seam-
less, flowing whole. They have suc-
ceeded brilliantly."
A new, substantial kitchen was in-
stalled as well as smoke detectors
and a better security system, includ-
ing bulletproof glass in the windows.
"The glass is about a half-inch thick,
and it gives the rooms a greenish
cast," says Buatta.
In order to connect Blair House
and Blair-Lee House with the Jack-
son Place structures, a new two-story
addition was built in what had been
the rear courtyard. The first floor's
spacious Garden Room is used for
receptions; three sets of French doors
lead out to the new, enclosed court-
yard garden. On the second floor is
a seven-room apartment, furnished
with English antiques donated by a
New York City family, that will be used
for visiting foreign dignitaries.
Buatta and Hampton, both well
known for their carriage trade clien-
tele, were chosen by a committee
and by Clement Conger, curator of
Blair House, for the decorative aspect
of the project. "They wanted design-