To restore the Portico back to its ca. 1797 appearance the Restoration Team first needed to discover the original level of the long missing ca. 1797 deck and column bases.  To uncover the information the Team turned to a mistake made by a painter 200 years before the restoration started.  At Montpelier pilasters, which are essentially flattened columns, are found against the exterior brick wall on either side of the Portico.  These pilasters featured the same design as the round outer columns, including proportions and moldings, and so rediscovering the pilasters’ moldings would also help to restore the columns.  However, the pilasters at Montpelier were also altered in ca. 1848.  So with the pilasters heavily altered, how would the Restoration Team be able to determine what the bases of the pilasters looked like in Madison’s time?