Act Two: The House at Risk
Robert Leighey died on July 29, 1963. Soon after, Marjorie learned that the new Interstate Highway 66 would pass directly through her property, and that, as a result, the government planned to seize her land and demolish her house.
Marjorie sprang into action. She hired a lawyer to delay the government, and, recognizing the cultural importance of her house, asked for help from Terry and Hamilton Morton, preservationists who worked for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. At the time, the preservation community tended to focus on saving much older properties, but Marjorie insisted that the 22-year-old house deserved the same protections as properties built 150 years earlier.
While it’s impossible to know her exact motivations, it’s difficult not to see her determination as a reflection of her recent loss. “It does seem like at least part of her thought in wanting to save the house was also saving memories she has of her husband,” observed Elizabeth Reese, senior manager of public programs at Woodlawn and the Pope-Leighey House. “That demonstrates that for a lot of people, doing larger acts of public service comes from a very personal place.”
