Restoration

Monticello is, and always has been, a work in progress. Our Restoration Department is responsible for the preservation, conservation, and accurate interpretation of the mountaintop's historic and reconstructed buildings.

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What We Do

Research We study documents and analyze historic building materials to restore Monticello to how it looked in Jefferson's lifetime.

Preventive Maintenance Our Restoration Specialists painstakingly care for the historic and reconstructed buildings on the mountaintop, preventing deterioration before it starts.

Conservation Specialized treatments are needed to stabilize and restore historic building materials so they last for generations.

Sharing History - Restoring an American Icon

Monticello today is an international icon of architecture. But it wasn't always so. How that all changed is a story of remarkable careers, passionate dedication, economic challenges, and innovative approaches that have made Jefferson's home one of the most enduring places in American imagination.

Timeline

Over 100 Years of Restoration

Since 1923, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation has been committed to preserving and restoring Monticello so the house and historic landscapes appear as they did in Thomas Jefferson's later years.

Featured Projects

Conserving the Mill at Shadwell The ruins of one of Thomas Jefferson's mills at his boyhood home of Shadwell survive. See how we saved it.

Restoring the Compass Rose Thomas Jefferson used this compass rose to see the wind direction from under the East Portico.

Reconstructing a Cabin on Mulberry Row Recreating a log dwelling that likely once housed members of the enslaved Hemmings family.

All in the Details

Parlor Parquet Floor Likely inspired by Thomas Jefferson's visit to France, the Parlor's striking and complex parquet floor combines beech and cherry wood.

Composition Ornament Composition ornament made by Irish immigrant George Andrews brought highly detailed ornament with motifs derived from Roman temples to Monticello.

Fine Finishes: Making Moldings with Bob Self Join Director of Restoration emeritus Bob Self to see how Monticello's fine architectural moldings were made.

Thomas Jefferson and Architecture

Learn more

Monticello is the autobiographical masterpiece of Thomas Jefferson—designed and redesigned and built and rebuilt for more than forty years. Learn More

Preserving Monticello

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Staff

Virtual Tours of Monticello

Interested in seeing more of Monticello's collection? Check out one of our virtual tours of the first floor.

Department of Museum Collections

Object Collections

Monticello's Restoration staff works closely with our Collections colleagues. Discover how they acquire, study, preserve, and publicly present objects from the Thomas Jefferson Foundation's extensive collection. Learn More

ADDRESS:
931 Thomas Jefferson Parkway
Charlottesville, VA 22902
GENERAL INFORMATION:
(434) 984-9800