CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. – As part of its ongoing efforts to safeguard the historic and scenic nature of the views from Monticello, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc., has reached an agreement to purchase the 330-acre property adjacent to Monticello currently known as Brown’s Mountain.

The property, which rises approximately 400 feet above Monticello across Route 53, was part of Jefferson’s landholdings, which totaled approximately 5,000 acres. Jefferson acquired the tract, which he called Montalto (“high mountain”), in 1771.

The Thomas Jefferson Foundation will purchase the property for $15 million from the Mountaintop Land Trust, the trustee for which is John C. Haskell Jr. of Richmond. The Mountaintop Land Trust has owned the parcel since 1974.

The purchase will represent the largest single acquisition in the history of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the private, nonprofit corporation that has owned and operated Monticello since 1923.

“It is a substantial amount of money, but not too much for the preservation of Monticello’s immediate viewshed and a community landmark,” said Daniel P. Jordan, the foundation’s president. “This is not a commercial transaction but an attempt to protect Jefferson’s legacy for future generations.”

“When presented with the rare opportunity to purchase the land that most impacts Mr. Jefferson’s beloved Monticello, we acted to protect and preserve for posterity the environs he treasured,” said Thomas A. Saunders III, chairman of the foundation’s Board of Trustees.

The Thomas Jefferson Foundation is in the process of formulating long-term plans for the site but has no intention of making any immediate changes in its current use or management. The parcel currently contains residential rental properties, some in former farm buildings that have been converted to apartments.