The Thomas Jefferson Foundation
Charlottesville, VA
Completion: 2008
Size: 39,000 GSF
Cost: NA
The new visitor center and Smith History Center are the most ambitious projects at Monticello since Thomas Jefferson walked the grounds. The primary goals for the projects are to:
- Remove the influences of the 19th and 20th centuries from the mountaintop
- Enhance the visitor experience
- Provide the staff with appropriate workspace
- Imbue the visitors with the importance of Thomas Jefferson and his
work.
When completed, the visitor center will be a modern reinforcement of the site's historical importance. Nestled in the forested hillside and constructed of durable local materials, the center is conceived as a village of buildings sitting lightly in the landscape, each rising one story above the previous. The program includes a ticket lobby, café, gift shop, two-story exhibit pavilion and Smith History Center.
We have designed the campus to minimize disturbed areas and have chosen the existing parking lot as the primary site to accomplish this goal. This project is working to achieve LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. It includes many sustainable features like maximized open space, water efficient landscaping, water use reduction, use or regional materials and maximized day-lighting of interior spaces.
The administrative campus will unite in a single location and remove some of the disparate departments of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation from current spots on the mountaintop. Within view of the house and Thomas Jefferson Memorial Parkway and adjacent to the Scholarly Campus, the new structures relate to traditional buildings of the rural Piedmont. The three linked pitch-roof buildings fit into the landscape like other area farmsteads.
The first step in the process was to create a new zoning district entitled "The Monticello Historic District." Ayers Saint Gross worked with the Foundation and its consultants to create this district. This is the first such district in the nation and Monticello is the only house listed as a World Heritage Site.
