Colle (house)
Colle, located near Charlottesville in Virginia, whose toponym is taken directly from the Italian language to indicate a small hill, was the estate of Philip Mazzei. The property borders the more famous Monticello, the private residence of Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia. The building was constructed at Jefferson's own invitation and suggestion, and is situated on the summit of a hill in the Southwest Mountains.
Mazzei, a Tuscan merchant and horticulturist, arrived in Virginia in 1773 and was persuaded by Thomas Jefferson to settle there. Jefferson gave him 193 acres of land, which Mazzei named Colle. He built a house around 1774 and organized a company to produce wine, olive oil, and silk. In 1779 he leased Colle to the Prussian general Friedrich Riedesel, a Hessian prisoner of war.
Today the original building no longer exists, but on the same site stands Jefferson Vineyards, a private winery that continues the estate's viticultural tradition in the area. The current French Colonial Revival–style house, designed by architect William Delano, was completed in 1940 for Stanley Woodward, an important diplomat.
History
Founding
Thomas Jefferson was passionate about viticulture, although he did not achieve much success in this area. After returning from France, he attempted to establish a vineyard at Monticello but struggled. Encouraged by Benjamin Franklin and supported by Thomas Adams, a merchant friend of Jefferson, a Tuscan winemaker named Filippo Mazzei traveled to Virginia on September 2, 1773 with European grapevines. Mazzei was headed for Augusta County, Virginia, where the local legislature had promised him land. On the way, he visited Monticello, where Jefferson persuaded him to settle nearby and granted him 193 acres south of Monticello—now part of Jefferson Vineyards. The following year, Mazzei purchased an additional 281 acres from Edward Carter, built a house he named Colle, and began cultivating the land. This location, originally chosen by Jefferson and Mazzei for grape growing, later became Jefferson Vineyards, Virginia's first winery.Production
Jefferson encouraged Mazzei to establish the Virginia Wine Company, a venture that included 38 investors, among them prominent colonists such as Jefferson and George Washington. The company raised £2,000 to cultivate wine, olive oil, citrus trees, and silk. Although a harsh frost destroyed many vineyards in 1774, Mazzei eventually succeeded in producing wine from six different native grape varieties. Later, he expressed confidence that Virginia's climate and soil were well-suited to viticulture. He wrote:Decline
In 1778, Jefferson, Patrick Henry, George Mason, and other colonists sent Mazzei to Italy to secure a loan from the Grand Duke of Tuscany to support the American Revolution. Mazzei's American investments caused ongoing difficulties, and his Colle estate fell into disrepair. During the Revolution, the property was rented to British officers held at The Barracks in Albemarle County. While Mazzei was away, Colle was leased to Baron von Riedesel, a Hessian general and prisoner of war. In just one week, the general’s horses trampled the vineyards andReconstruction
By the 1930s, Colle had been dismantled. Some of the house’s exterior elements were likely reused in the renovation of Michie Tavern nearby. The surrounding land may have been converted into apple and peach orchards.In 1939, Shirley and Stanley Woodward Sr., following the example of friends who had built a home in nearby Kenwood, acquired Colle. They rebuilt the house on the original foundations under the design of architect William Adams Delano, a cousin of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.