Much is made of the China's fascination with copying buildings. "That's a weird thing that China does," say Americans, who live in a country with White House and Versailles knockoffs by the dozen. Recently, the very American pursuit of building tributes to architectural landmarks and styling the interiors in boring McMansion-y fashion yielded up this Monticello lookalike, built by Friendly's co-founder S. Prestly Blake in Sommers, Connecticut. It is, he tells Mass Live, his "swan song"; a tribute to Thomas Jefferson's Virginia home he built for millions, with custom-molded soffits and bricks handmade in Virginia for authenticity, and a three-car garage in back because it's his dream and he can bring it to life however he wants to. Gaze upon this "new Monticello" in all its listing photo glory, with a John Deere Gator parked out front.
Blake built the place for the purpose of selling it, to "someone who is wealthy enough to support it and someone who can be a benefit to the community." It arrived on Zillow a week ago with a $6.5M asking price. Who's to say you can't have a spec swan song?
· Friendly's co-founder S. Prestley Blake's 'Monticello' nears completion as a Somers, Conn., replica of Thomas Jefferson's 'masterpiece' [Mass Live]
· 732 Hall Hill [Zillow]
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