This Old House
Belmont gets an old coat of paint and a fresh new look
By Amy Satterthwaite
A most vivid shade of blue was hand-mixed this fall by colorists paid to know precisely what they were doing. The Buckland Blue paint was destined for the doors of a beloved old house that has stood on a bluff over the Rappahannock River falls for more than two centuries. The shutters of the house had earlier been taken back to their telltale shade of Fiddlehead Green; the white wood siding repainted to its former Elephant Tusk. Faithful renderings, to the last. After all, the old place, Belmont, once belonged to a famous artist, Gari Melchers, and his wife, Corinne. One can’t put the wrong color on the house of a man who made his living at it.
For 30 years, Belmont has been meticulously preserved as a museum by the University of Mary Washington. Its staff remains loyal to the final wish of Corinne Melchers – that the house and its extensive grounds be a memorial to Gari and a gift to the public. Gardens are lovingly tended. Faded paintings are restored. The smallest note written in Melchers’ hand is treasured. The staff keeps things, as they’re fond of saying, “exactly like the Melcherses simply walked out for a moment and closed the door behind them.”
Nothing freezes without dying, though. The Melcherses understood that, and so does the University. Thus, construction is under way on a new pavilion next to Gari Melchers’ stone painting studio. The new space will be used to host the sort of parties that always excited the couple back in the ’20s and ’30s, when they entertained the most celebrated people of their day.