About the Mansion

The Blair Mansion Restaurant is located on a portion of the Pierce-Shoemaker Estate which was granted by King Charles II of England to George Pierce in 1685.  The original family residence was built by George’s son, Joshua, about 1700 and rebuilt by his grandson, Isaac Pierce, in the early 1800s. With the passing of generations the family’s holdings increased until Isaac’s grandson, Pierce Shoemaker, inherited 4,000 acres in the District of Columbia and 1,000 acres in Virginia and Kentucky. At the same time Pierce’s brother, Abner Shoemaker, inherited as his share, an 88-acre farm located on the northwestern end of the estate.

In the late 1800s Abner gave 20 acres of his land, known as the “girl’s portion,” to his niece, Abigail, and her husband, Charles Rider Newman, as a wedding gift.   A home was built for the young couple at the extreme northern corner of this tract, which extended into Maryland, thus giving the newlyweds the right to vote. The bride’s uncle also supplied the labor for the construction of the house, while her father, Pierce Shoemaker, furnished the stone from his quarries, which were located on what is now Broad Branch Road in the District. The timber also came from his estate which is now part of Rock Creek Park. Furnishings were imported from France at a cost of nearly $100,000, making the home the ideal setting for numerous social events.

Stanford White, leading New York architect of the time, was employed to draw the plans and supervise the construction. Mr. White is perhaps best remembered as the designer of Madison Square Gardens in New York City and as the infamous third member and eventual murder victim of the Evelyn Nesbitt-Harry K. Thaw love triangle.   This very same house stands as the Blair Mansion Restaurant.

After the Newman’s sold the house, the original 20 acres were subdivided many times until 1922, when the Mansion was purchased and opened to the public as the Brooke Tea House, the first of its kind in the area.  Mrs. Mimie Brooke’s warm and congenial personality attracted many prominent diplomatic and social functions.  After Mrs. Brooke’s death in 1937, Miss Esterlene Bell, a well-known Maryland political figure, converted the building into a guest house. During the following two decades the Mansion was the scene of many political gatherings and even served as an outpost for recovering soldiers from Walter Reed Hospital.

In 1959, Mr. Gusti Buttinelli, one of Washington’s noted restaurateurs, bought and renamed the stately old house the Blair Mansion Restaurant.   Under Mr. Gusti’s personal direction, the Mansion was extensively renovated and remodeled. The circular Terrace Room is of his own design and represents the only structural change, other than the addition of an efficient and modern kitchen.

As you enter the Mansion, the first room on your right, the small Colonial Room, was the Newman’s Library. What is now the coatroom and lavatory to the left of the front door was originally the children’s playroom. The middle room, our State Room, was once used as a piano and parlor room, while the paneled Fireside Room was used as the main family dining room.   The Bar area was the kitchen of the original mansion.

One item of considerable interest is the antique grandfather clock immediately left of the entrance to our Fireside Room. This clock bears a gold plate inscribed, “Grand Prize of the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition.”

Today the Blair Mansion Restaurant, set in the flavor of old America, has become famous for serving each guest with the friendly attention and courtesy reserved from its historic past. A meeting place for all who enjoy dining in charming and historic surroundings; this noted Maryland landmark, after many decades, still retains the dignity of a style popular in even the earliest years of the Silver Spring area.

We, at the Blair Mansion Restaurant, appreciate your visit and the opportunity to acquaint you with our fine food and service. The goodwill of our many friends is important to us. We earnestly strive to merit its continuance and to add more names to our ever growing family of guests. We hope your time here will be as relaxing and as memorable as possible. Our reward will come when you pay us a return visit.  ‘Til then, many thanks.