The $24 million restoration of James Madison’s Montpelier, a National Trust Historic Site in Virginia, will be a featured segment on the “CBS Sunday Morning Show” on Sunday, March 16 (Madison’s Birthday!). Correspondent Rita Braver and the CBS production crew spent two days delving into the life of James Madison at Montpelier and his eminent role in shaping our nation’s history as “Father of the Constitution.” Filming for the 8-10 minute segment included interior and exterior shots of the 12,500-square-foot Madison home, the Madison Family Cemetery, the Slave Cemetery, and the Joe and Marge Grills Gallery which features rare James and Dolley Madison documents and collections.
Montpelier is the lifelong home of Madison, the nation’s fourth president. The 248-year-old two-story, red brick mansion is in the final stages of being authentically returned to the home that James and wife Dolley created and loved in the early 19th century. Montpelier not only served as host to Dolley’s many social gatherings, but it was also where James Madison engaged in some of his most important research and writing. In fact, a number of America’s greatest documents were inspired at Montpelier including the Federalist Papers, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
The restoration of Montpelier is among the most controversial projects happening at historic sites in America, but was begun in 2003 in order to “return James Madison to the American people, and to make Montpelier a place of learning, exploration, and celebration of the Constitution and our American democracy,” according to Mike Quinn, president of the Montpelier Foundation, the non-profit organization that manages the site under a cooperative agreement with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. To ensure the accuracy and authenticity of the restoration, the project included extensive and innovative research and documentation along with regular consultation with a broad team of specialists in historic architecture, construction, interpretation, furnishings, and interior design.
Montpelier will celebrate the completion of its $24 million architectural restoration on Constitution Day, September 17, 2008. Planning for restoration of the landscape and furnishing of the historic interior continues and is expected to conclude in 2010.
