Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, is a historic mansion and memorial on the Arlington estate now within Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, preserved as a museum and viewpoint across the Potomac.

The house was constructed in the early 19th century by George Washington Parke Custis; Robert E. Lee and his family occupied it from 1831 until 1861. During the Civil War the estate was seized and later developed into Arlington National Cemetery; the mansion is now administered by the National Park Service as a memorial to Lee and the site’s layered history.

Arlington House sits within Arlington National Cemetery on a ridge overlooking the Potomac River, directly across from central Washington, D.C., and is accessible from the cemetery’s visitor routes.

• Origins: The house was built by George Washington Parke Custis in the early 19th century and later became the home of Robert E. Lee before the Civil War.
• Setting: It stands within Arlington National Cemetery and overlooks the Potomac River and the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

What to See #

• Arlington House (mansion): The 19th-century mansion that contains period rooms interpreted to the early 19th-century Custis household and later Lee family occupancy.
• Grounds and Views: Exterior terraces and gardens that provide panoramic views across the Potomac River toward Washington, D.C.
• Custis-Lee Exhibits: Interpretive exhibits about the Custis and Lee families and the transformation of the estate into Arlington National Cemetery.