Last week we shared our oldest known photo of the property on our Instagram Stories and many of you asked for more on the history of the home and families that built and later added to what we have today. So history is the topic for today's first Mansion Messenger.
Back in 1927, Waverly benefactor Paul Belin and legendary landscape architect Charles Wellford Leavitt joined forces to create the estate we now call Mansion on Waverly Hill. It rose during one of the most optimistic eras in American history, a time when the country felt unstoppable. The plan itself is incredibly detailed and ornate. If you look up Wellford Leavitt online you will see many examples of the emblematic multi-tiered lawns, symmetrical fountains and flora.
But nothing stays the same forever.
Paul passed just three years after the home was completed. The decades that followed were more challenging, and although relatives continued to enjoy the property, it eventually changed hands.
In the 1970s, the Todaro family became the home’s next major stewards. Dr. Todaro and his family didn’t just preserve the Mansion, they elevated it, adding major new spaces, including the now-legendary Sound of Music Ballroom. Their chapter left a beautiful and lasting mark.
After they departed in the late ’90s, others owned the property, including the Karnoffs for 20 years themselves between the early 2000s and 2022. They, too, invested their time and heart into this home, updating the pool, the fountains, floors, and a myriad of other features in the home.
Maintaining a home of this scale is no small task, that I can attest. I have so much respect for those that came before us. The required spirit and resources are immense.
There are no ways to turn back the hands of time.
The home then passed hands one more time and it was unoccupied over a two year period up until 2023, which accelerated the issued that had begun to fester. A real estate agent’s YouTube video caught my eye, calling on a new owner to bring this extraordinary place back to life. That was the moment the seed was planted.
Could we succeed and restore this place fully and permanently? That question has guided every step of this project.
Two years later, we’re still answering it every day with determination, creativity, and a whole lot of love.
On the scale of 100 years, two years is a blip. But living it? It’s been a marathon. I understand why few would take on a project this massive. And yet… here we are.
As we inch closer to our “move that bus” moment, the day we reopen these doors, every nail we drive, every tile we install, and every hallway we walk reminds us why this matters.
But this journey isn’t special just because of the Mansion.
It’s special because of you.
You’re part of this story. Your ideas, your energy, your support help shape the decisions we make and fuel the progress you see. And now, as we approach a brand-new chapter in 2026, I want to make sure you see it all, week by week, from the front lines of the restoration.
So welcome to the first edition of Mansion Messenger, your seat in the front row as we build the next century of this remarkable home.
Here's to the next hundred years,
-Ariel
