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

Having visited Monticello and seen Rachel Levy’s gravesite, my husband and I read this book to understand the story. The story is fascinating.On the negative side, the book might have been better if it had been edited to be shorter. I skimmed here and there. If you start the book and sag a little in the details, skip to the epilogue where the more recent history of the last few decades is recorded.

In this masterfully written account, author Marc Leepson explores the often precarious and somewhat neglected history of Monticello after the death of Thomas Jefferson.Mr. Leepson's scholarly work reveals how frighteningly close the world came to losing this architectural masterpiece, and the debt owed the Levy family for its rescue.Anyone interested in Jefferson or Monticello should read this book!

Most Americans are not aware of the extensive history of Monticello from the time that Thomas Jefferson died in 1826 to what we see today when we visit his historic home in Charlottesville, Virginia. Marc Leepson sets the record straight in his fascinating book, Saving Monticello: The Levy Family's Epic Quest to Rescue the House That Jefferson Built.Thomas Jefferson liked to live lavishly, but in his retirement years, he did not have the income to support his expensive tastes. When he died, he left a debt of over $100,000 for his heirs to settle. He also left a Monticello that could best be described as shabby. He did not have the money for painting, repairs and basic maintenance. His daughter, Martha Randolph, was forced to sell her father's home as she needed the income to settle debts and she could not afford to live there on her own (she made Monticello her home from 1809 onward). Monticello was first purchased by James Turner Barclay, who unsuccessfully tried to operate a silkworm business. Three years later (1834), he sold it to Uriah P. Levy.Captain Levy was a larger-than-life man who was the first Jewish career officer in the U.S. Navy. During his 50 years of service, he was subjected to 6 courts martial, most of them due to anti-Semitism. He did much to help repair Monticello. But unfortunately, Jefferson's home was confiscated by the Confederate government during the Civil War. Meanwhile, Levy died in 1862 and it took over 17 years of court battles to determine the fate of Monticello. Finally, it was purchased by his nephew, Jefferson Madison Levy, who bought out the other heirs.Jefferson Levy inherited a Monticello that was almost beyond repair. But this wealthy lawyer immediately started dumping money into the estate. Soon, Monticello under Levy was probably in better shape than when Jefferson owned the house. The rest of the story involves how Monticello was eventually sold to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation in 1923. This is definitely an ugly period in Monticello history, when mean-spirited individuals created fabrications about Levy, the condition of Monticello, and about how Uriah Levy "stole" Monticello from Martha Randolph. Jefferson Levy was also targeted because of his religion. It took until the late 1900s for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation to finally acknowledge the Levy family for their 89 years of stewardship (longer even than Jefferson's ownership of Monticello).There were two things that I think could have improved Saving Monticello. First, part of this book reads like a society page with the many dinners, luncheons, trips and events attended by Jefferson Levy. There is also quite a bit of name-dropping. It gets extremely tedious. "In February, Jefferson Levy and Carl Mayhoff spent a few days at the Willard Hotel in Washington. Then they took off for Palm Beach, Florida. Levy was back in New York on March 28th where he gave a dinner party at the Waldorf Astoria for the theatrical producer Sir Charles Wyndham and the actress Mary Moore." There are pages and pages like this. Also, I would have appreciated some interior photographs of Monticello during Jefferson Levy's tenure. I have seen them in other books, so they are available. But still, Saving Monticello is a great story and a must for any Jefferson-fan.

I have always loved Monticello and have been endlessly fascinated with Thomas Jefferson and his complexity. The Monticello we all know once stood a very great chance of being lost forever. The people whom purchased the home and restored it are equally fascinating. This book is very detailed and has been meticulously researched. If you love Monticello and the evolution of the preservation of this inspiring home, you will find this a great read.

Very interesting book that makes it abundantly clear that the beautiful Monticello we see today almost decayed and disappeared from neglect, legal battles, and vandalizing visitors.Some nice little anecdotal touches and descriptions that bring the history alive.

I was intrigued by the story of the Leavy family on my last visit to Monticello. This looked, and from the reviews, and sounded like it would be exactly what I was looking for. It was interesting, but had a tendency to ramble. Very dry, lots of dates and names...much like a textbook. Quite confusing at times. I give Mr. Leepson kudos for the massive amount of research that went into this book. Would be a wonderful reference book for a report or paper....just not something I enjoyed reading before bed.

A must if you have visited the home.

A thoroughly researched narrative, this book is well described in its subtitle. Thomas Jefferson's Monticello was for some years in very poor condition. Jefferson died in debt, and as seen on the book's cover, left this unique house nearly in ruins, shutters hanging off their hinges, a leaking roof and weeds in the gutters. This is a story of auctions, lawsuits, sales and purchases, with the efforts of the Levy family to restore this house to optimum condition. There were demands that the house be presented to the U.S. government; undertones of anti-Semitism in criticism of the Levy family's ownership; and efforts to form an organization to take over the preservation. Would the Levys' work of many years finally be recognized?Genealogies, notes, bibliography and index complete this account.

This is a fascinating story. I had no idea that Monticello hadn't been looked after when Jefferson died and that the house I have visited twice was virtually a reconstruction. Truth IS stranger than fiction.