George Washington’s orangery at Mount Vernon was a rather unexpected build at the time, especially in America. The trend of orangeries and conservatories had simply not proliferated around the country yet, but that did not stop Washington from enjoying the luxuries his orangery provided him with. According to Mount Vernon’s website, “George Washington oversaw all aspects of the landscape at Mount Vernon. He extensively redesigned the grounds surrounding his home, adopting the less formal, more naturalistic style of 18th century English garden landscape designer Batty Langley.”

As one of the largest buildings on the Mount Vernon estate, the brick orangery was designed in the Georgian Style of architecture, meaning it had symmetry, restraint, and was built between 1714 and 1830. Its vaulted ceiling promotes air circulation while the grand arched windows capture the southern sun. It also has an ingenious heating system that developed heat from an array of flues under the floorboards. Inside, Washington kept his exotic and highly covetable lemon trees, orange trees and sago palms as well as provided shelter to enslaved workers employed at his Mount Vernon farm.

Washington’s initial orangery burned in 1835, but it was reconstructed in 1951 on the original foundation and based on drawings of the original structure. The reconstructed space uses bricks from the White House from its renovations in 1948-1952. 

Today, the orangery is open for visitors at George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Virginia, USA.