Life in Williamsburg

When John D. Rockefeller Jr. set out to restore the old colonial capital of Williamsburg, Va. back in 1926, he guessed the job might take as much as $5,000,000 to complete. It was a vast underestimation. For one thing, Rockefeller decided to spend $6,200,000 on accommodations for tourists. Then, to insure proper colonial atmosphere, the tracks of the Chesapeake & Ohio R. R. had to be moved, and all telephone and power lines buried underground. Building costs and land values started climbing. And the overall scope of the project grew; at first, Rockefeller aimed to restore only the old buildings that remained, and to re-create a few government structures. Then he determined to revive Williamsburg completely, brick for brick, from colonial maps.

Last week Colonial Williamsburg Inc. reported the results of 25 years' work: almost $30 million of Rockefeller money has been spent to bring the old town back to life; 82 of the crumbling buildings have been completely restored; 341 more have been built up from scratch on old foundations--and the job is far from finished. Still on the agenda: 97 projects costing another $15 million, including a reconstruction of the first theater in colonial America, with 18th century stage machinery and props.

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