The house on the Menokine tobacco plantation was built in 1769, and was quite strong in the middle of the 20th century. But over the second half of the century, it turned into a ruin that threatens to collapse: 80% of the materials there are extremely unstable. Since 1971, the house has been included in the national register of monuments, but it turned out to be more important for its fate that it has been empty since 1960.
The value of the house on the former Menokine plantation is in its excellent "documentation", unique for the construction of the 18th century in the USA. In addition, its owners, Lee himself and his wife Rebecca Tailou, belonged to the richest and most distinguished inhabitants of Virginia (and the other 12 colonies), that is, they were notable historical figures, as well as the customers of the first row of architectural structures.
It was only in 1995 that the Menokin Charitable Foundation took up the rescue of the site; in 2013, the architects Machado Silvetti, known for their reconstruction of the Getty Villa and other heritage sites, were involved in the project. The hardest part of the design - the technical implementation of the new, glass part of the structure - was entrusted to the designers and facade specialists Eckersley O'Callaghan, who, among other things, do a lot for Apple.
The essence of the project is to restore the disappeared parts of the house so that its size, composition, structure, layout are clear, but so that the new parts do not disturb the perception of the original building made of stone, brick and wood. According to
Menokin Foundation, traditional restoration and reconstruction often recreates the appearance of a building at a specific point in time, while hiding its "life", its history - with traces of destruction, alterations, handprints on bricks, "craft" tools - on boards, mistakes and successes builders of past centuries. In the case of Menokine, all of this will be fully preserved and available for inspection.
Glass will also allow maintaining a close connection between the interior and the environment of the house, which is also of considerable value. In the past, this is the former tobacco plantation, where slaves worked, and the lands of the Rappahannok Indian tribe, which gave this place the name Menokin. In general, we are talking about more than 200 hectares of virtually untouched historical landscape, more than half of which is simultaneously included in the nature reserve "Rappahannok River Valley".
In parallel with the Glass House project, which is scheduled to be completed in early 2023, the Menokin Foundation is busy creating trails that do not violate the integrity of the landscape. They will provide visitors with an introduction to the area, and the actual routes will be combined with birdwatching shelters, scenery platforms, kayak and canoe docks, and picnic spots. The foundation hopes to attract a wider audience to Menokine: 10 million people live within a three-hour car journey around the town of Vorso, which is closest to the estate.
