How did they install furniture on the third floor of Monticello? With restoration of the upper floors underway and not much historical evidence to go on, our Restoration and Curatorial teams were tasked with finding a solution around those narrow stairways.
Of all of the 2nd and 3rd floor spaces currently undergoing study, restoration, and re-interpretation at Monticello, the Nursery is the most complex as it requires extensive architectural restoration.
This year, the Restoration Department concluded their research into the design of Monticello’s original exterior “Venetian” blinds. The search ultimately led them from Monticello to the U.S. Capitol.
At the southwestern end of Mulberry Row, Monticello’s principal plantation street, are the ruins of Jefferson’s ca. 1770 joiners’ shop. The shop was used by Jefferson’s free and enslaved carpenters to produce fine architectural woodwork and furniture until Jefferson’s death in 1826.
Monticello’s iconic west front has been undergoing a major change in the past few months. The columns on the West Portico (aka Southwest Portico) are being restored to their original Jefferson-era appearance.
Today, I am pleased to announce Monticello has received a $10 million gift from David M. Rubenstein, philanthropist and Co-CEO of The Carlyle Group.
Winter at Monticello brings with it a solitary, clear beauty, with vistas that stretch for miles. When the shutters weren’t closed to contain the warmth, family, guests, and enslaved servants might have admired the snowy views out of the numerous large windows, but this pleasure was certainly tempered by the cold they endured.
I love watching guests on tours at Monticello when a clock strikes. Why? The look of surprise, then inevitably, a whisper, “wow, the clock still works,” and even better, “it’s nearly on time.” It makes me wonder: how many people know what goes on inside a museum like Monticello before the doors open to visitors?
If only we could showcase everything! An upcoming exhibition will contain ten panels that investigate the people, buildings, and industries of Mulberry Row. Only dozens of artifacts of many thousands of artifacts recovered by the Monticello Archaeology Department will make it to the display cases. So, how do we choose?
A Wall Street Journal story on Jefferson's influence on decorator and former White House design consultant Carleton Varney.
