The Glass House Project

In Warsaw, V.A., near the banks of the Rappahannock River, Menokin, the former plantation home of Francis Lee, a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence, has stood in ruins since the 1960s. 

Supported by an NEH Challenge Grant, the Menokin Foundation has undertaken a uniquely ambitious preservation project to rehabilitate and preserve the 1769 house and National Historical Landmark in a way that will allow visitors to experience evidence of the historic structure’s human stories and create an innovative space for humanities programming. 

The house’s missing walls and roof will be reconstructed with structural glass, stabilizing the structure while revealing the historic dwelling’s hidden histories and architectural underpinnings. Dubbed the “Glass House,” the ongoing conservation project blends 18th-century craftsmanship with 21st-century innovation, serving as a model for new approaches and techniques for the preservation of historic landmarks. 

Read about the Glass House project in The Art Newspaper, The Wall Street Journal, and The Architect’s Newspaper.