Skip to Content

Arbor Terrace

A wisteria-covered arbor opens onto a sunny terrace overlooking the lower gardens.
Arbor Terrace

Originally designed by Farrand as a sunny herb garden with shady seats beneath the wisteria-covered arbor, the Arbor Terrace is now paved with Crab Orchard stone, and is decorated by potted plants, which are changed seasonally. On its northern and eastern sides, double rows of Kieffer pear trees enclose the terrace. Seen from the gardens below, the trees screen the retaining wall and hide the steep slopes.

On the western side of the terrace, the cedar arbor minimizes the height of the retaining wall that is also the northeast corner of the Rose Garden. The arbor’s design is based on a sixteenth-century arbor design by French architect Jacques Androuet du Cerceau. Under the shade of the wisteria roof, water pours from the mouth of a lead river god into a pool decorated with lead cattails. On the wall to the south is an inscription from Dante.

This plaque in the Wisteria Arbor commemorates the Blisses’ friendship with Gelasio B. A. Caetani, the Italian ambassador to the United States from 1922 to 1925. The Caetani family owned the Codex Caetani, a manuscript of Dante's Purgatorio. The lettering of the inscription is in the same style as the manuscript.

The inscription is from Canto XXVIII of the Purgatorio: “Quelli chanticamente poetaro / leta dell oro & suo stato felice / forse in parnaso esto loco sognaro. Charles Eliot Norton translates it as Those who in old time sang of the Golden Age, and of its happy state, perchance, upon Parnassus, dreamed of this place.”

View of the Arbor Terrace with potted plants in the corners and at the center of the paved area

Arbor Terrace, fountain

Inscription in Italian from Dante's Purgatorio set into a wall

Bench with seat converted into a planting bed

Two wooden benches facing each other, with railing between that overlooks trees and lower planting beds
Double bench and railing, teak, oak, and iron, Beatrix Farrand, ca. 1938.

 
Go To Referenced Item More information ...

More Exhibit Items

South Lawn
South Lawn

This grassy expanse is sculpted by the old driveway that approaches the house.

Orangery
Orangery

This small greenhouse is one of the oldest structures still standing on the grounds of Dumbarton Oaks.

Green Garden
Green Garden

This grassy terrace, shaded by a tall oak tree, provides a panoramic view of the entire estate.

Beech Terrace
Beech Terrace

The wide, shady branches of an enormous beech tree stretch over this quiet enclosed space.

Urn Terrace
Urn Terrace

The Urn Terrace serves as an ivied transition between the Beech Terrace, Box Walk, and Rose Garden.

Rose Garden
Rose Garden

A riotous variety of roses fills this sunny space between the Urn and Fountain Terraces.

Fountain Terrace
Fountain Terrace

A traditional flower garden in a blend of English Cottage and Arts and Crafts style.

Arbor Terrace
Arbor Terrace

A wisteria-covered arbor opens onto a sunny terrace overlooking the lower gardens.

Terrior Column and Enclosure
Terrior Column and Enclosure

The story of a terrier given to a Neapolitan girl by a French admiral inspired this column.

Lovers’ Lane Pool
Lovers’ Lane Pool

A shallow pool sits at the bottom of a small brick amphitheater, bordered by a stand of bamboo.

Mélisande’s Allée
Mélisande’s Allée

This narrow brick walk wends through a dreamlike woodland spotted with daffodils and hyacinths.

Herbaceous Border
Herbaceous Border

These large flowerbeds explode with color the whole year round.

Orchard
Orchard

Apples, cherries, pears, and plums blossom and bear fruit every year in this small orchard.

Prunus Walk
Prunus Walk

The plum trees on this walk guide a visitor through the Kitchen Gardens.

Kitchen Gardens
Kitchen Gardens

This area includes a cutting garden for flowers and a working vegetable garden.

Lilac Circle
Lilac Circle

Hidden near the edge of the gardens, Lilac Circle offers a secluded spot for rest and contemplation.

Cherry Hill
Cherry Hill

When the trees blossom in springtime, this hillside becomes one of the gardens’ most magical spaces.

Catalogue House
Catalogue House

This small shelter at the edge of the gardens now houses educational displays.

Forsythia Dell
Forsythia Dell

Blooming forsythia turns this corner of the gardens bright yellow at the beginning of spring.

Ellipse
Ellipse

A double ring of hornbeams encircles a fountain, creating a hypnotic sense of calm.

Box Walk
Box Walk

This gently descending staircase, flanked by boxwood hedges, is the gardens’ central axis.

Pebble Garden
Pebble Garden

Elaborate stonework and low flowerbeds play off trellises of wisteria in this stately courtyard.

Crabapple Hill
Crabapple Hill

Farrand planned to feature a variety of similar blooms en masse here.

North Vista
North Vista

Elegantly tapering walls project a grand view from the steps of the historic house.

Ondine’s Walk
Ondine’s Walk

Swirling brickwork surrounds a Japanese maple just outside the museum.

Star Garden
Star Garden

This small room features custom stonework, wrought-iron furniture, and a fountain ornamented with various constellations.

Swimming Pool and Loggia
Swimming Pool and Loggia

The swimming pool and beautifully decorated loggia attest to Dumbarton Oaks’ history as a private residence.

Garden Library and Ribbon Walk
Garden Library and Ribbon Walk

The brick and limestone ribbon walks simulate the quality of flowing cloth.

East Lawn
East Lawn

“One of the loveliest of the features of Dumbarton Oaks in its freedom from detail.”