The East Colonnade dates to the ca. 1812 renovations and additions to Montpelier.  It replaced two smaller porches that had been built in ca. 1764 and ca. 1797 and served as an expression of the region’s architectural fashion as well as unified the rear elevation.  The Colonnade’s flat roof, classically inspired columns, and Chinese-patterned railing all tie the design of the colonnade to the classical revival style favored by President Madison’s closest friend, Thomas Jefferson.  Similar to the Portico, the shafts of the columns for the Colonnade were made from pie-shaped bricks called “compass” bricks.  Historically, it appears that these brick-cored columns were either finished with an exposed lime-based render made from tan-colored stucco or painted white.  The questions that presented themselves to the Restoration Team were how the Colonnade columns were finished during Madison’s time and what materials were used to create that finish.