Saving Monticello: The Levy Family's Epic Quest to Rescue the House that Jefferson Built

by Marc Leepson

Book Overview

How a Jewish navy veteran and his descendants saved one of America's most recognizable architectural landmarks This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813922194
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: University of Virginia Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.0" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

"Saving Monticello" is a much needed book!

I highly recommend Marc Leepson's book 'Saving Monticello' because it gives credit to the Levy family without whose help and stewardship Monticello may have been erased forever. His detail and insight of story serve to hold the reader's interest of not only Thomas Jefferson, but of the history of the time. Mr. Leepson very patiently educates us about the Levy family and their unwavering loyalty to Monticello. I had often wondered what had happened to Monticello during the years after Jefferson's death until the Memorial Foundation took it over and now is supplied to us a fascinating history, a thread which we must all be tempted to follow and remember as part of our own history. I cannot imagine looking at Monticello in the same way as I did before I read Mr. Leepson's, "Saving Monticello".

Almost Lost

I have just finished reading "Saving Monticello" and want to say just how much I enjoyed it. I am a long-time fan of Jefferson and particularly his architectural endeavors (the subject of my master's thesis) so I go out of my way to find new items on the subject. It was great to learn about those "lost years" of Monticello that up until now have barely been touched on and I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in American history. The author has clearly delineated what a tenuous hold we sometimes have on important landmarks and how easily they can be lost to future generations if we are not careful.

A Forgotten Chapter of History, Rightly Restored

Everyone who knows the basic history of Monticello knows about Jefferson bringing his young bride to his "little mountain"; the evolution and growth of the house he was continually tearing down and putting up; his mostly happy retirement there, shadowed by his battles with debt; and finally the end of that magnificent life there on July 4, 1826, fifty years to the day after the young republic had declared its independence with the words from his pen....And we know the magnificently restored estate of today, a beacon for millions of visitors who want to draw closer to that man of countless gifts.....But there's been a missing chapter in the Monticello story for too long; the years from Jefferson's death to its opening to the public have been passed over in most histories with at best, a few paragraphs."Saving Monticello" fills that gap perfectly. Here we learn of the estate's decline after Jefferson's death, only arrested with the intervention of the Levy family, who are given their rightful due as stewards of this magnificent property. What happened to Monticello during the Civil War? What were some of the odd uses proposed for it? For answers to these questions and many more, read this well-crafted book.

An Outstanding Accomplishment!

To me Monticello is heaven on earth. It is one of Mr. Jefferson's most miraculous accomplishments and I cherish every minute that I am able to spend there. Until Saving Monticello I did not realize what a debt of gratitude we owe to the Levy family for rescuing this treasure. Marc Leepson brings the Levy family to life and he makes one shudder to learn of how terribly close our nation came to losing one of its masterpieces. I learned so much about an important era in Monticello's history.

A Tremendous Service To American History

On a recent visit to Monticello, I noticed the grave of Rachel Phillips Levy and the plaque that mentions the Levy's ownership of Monticello for almost a century. Intrigued, but knowing nothing of the story, I looked for a book on the subject. Finding Saving Monticello was like discovering an aspect of American History that I didn't know existed!Impeccably researched and documented, Saving Monticello provides a tremendous service to American History by revealing the previously untold story of one of America's best loved and fascinating famous homes. This book should be required reading for all students of American History.