Company Description:
Monticello is owned and operated by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc., which was founded in 1923. As a private, nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation, the Foundation receives no ongoing federal, state, or local funding in support of its dual mission of preservation and education. In its 86 years of existence, the Foundation has steadily expanded Monticello's functions and holdings. Its stewardship now includes approximately 2,500 of Jefferson's 5,000 acres, of which more than 1,400 are held under protective easements. The 2004 purchase of Montalto, the neighboring mountain that rises 400 feet above Monticello, represents the Foundation's most significant land acquisition. In addition to the new Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center and Smith Education Center, which had its grand opening in April 2009, large capital projects have included the Jefferson Library and the Thomas Jefferson Parkway, both dedicated in 2002. Thumbnail of the recently restored kitchen at MonticelloThe Foundation's major restoration projects in recent years have included restoring and replacing Jefferson's roof system on the house; installing a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system; placing new, historically accurate roofing on the South Pavilion; installing Jefferson-era louvered Venetian enclosures on the South Piazza; restoring the North Cellar Passage; and renovating and refurnishing the Cook's Room, Beer Cellar, Kitchen, and Wine Cellar. Monticello's multidisciplinary educational initiatives are conducted through the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies. Founded in 1994 to foster Jefferson scholarship and widely disseminate findings, the Smith ICJS embraces Monticello's archaeology, education, publications, and research departments; the 15,500-square-foot Jefferson Library; and the editorial operations of The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series, a published compilation of Jefferson's written legacy from 1809 to his death in 1826. The Center conducts international scholarly conferences, lectures, informal talks, panel discussions, teacher workshops, curriculum-based tours, and other programs for students and educators, and offers long- and short-term residential fellowships for researchers and scholars. The Smith ICJS is based at the nearby Kenwood property. Thumbnail of interior of CHP's greenhouseMonticello's Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants (CHP), established in 1987, collects, preserves, and distributes historic plant varieties and strives to promote greater appreciation for the origins and evolution of garden plants. The program centers on Jefferson's horticultural interests and the plants he grew at Monticello, but also covers the broad history of plants cultivated in America by including varieties documented through the 19th century and choice North American plants. The CHP is located at nearby Tufton Farm.
Monticello is owned and operated by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc., which was founded in 1923. As a private, nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation, the Foundation receives no ongoing federal, state, or local funding in support of its dual mission of preservation and education. In its 86 years of existence, the Foundation has steadily expanded Monticello's functions and holdings. Its stewardship now includes approximately 2,500 of Jefferson's 5,000 acres, of which more than 1,400 are held under protective easements. The 2004 purchase of Montalto, the neighboring mountain that rises 400 feet above Monticello, represents the Foundation's most significant land acquisition. In addition to the new Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center and Smith Education Center, which had its grand opening in April 2009, large capital projects have included the Jefferson Library and the Thomas Jefferson Parkway, both dedicated in 2002. Thumbnail of the recently restored kitchen at MonticelloThe Foundation's major restoration projects in recent years have included restoring and replacing Jefferson's roof system on the house; installing a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system; placing new, historically accurate roofing on the South Pavilion; installing Jefferson-era louvered Venetian enclosures on the South Piazza; restoring the North Cellar Passage; and renovating and refurnishing the Cook's Room, Beer Cellar, Kitchen, and Wine Cellar. Monticello's multidisciplinary educational initiatives are conducted through the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies. Founded in 1994 to foster Jefferson scholarship and widely disseminate findings, the Smith ICJS embraces Monticello's archaeology, education, publications, and research departments; the 15,500-square-foot Jefferson Library; and the editorial operations of The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series, a published compilation of Jefferson's written legacy from 1809 to his death in 1826. The Center conducts international scholarly conferences, lectures, informal talks, panel discussions, teacher workshops, curriculum-based tours, and other programs for students and educators, and offers long- and short-term residential fellowships for researchers and scholars. The Smith ICJS is based at the nearby Kenwood property. Thumbnail of interior of CHP's greenhouseMonticello's Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants (CHP), established in 1987, collects, preserves, and distributes historic plant varieties and strives to promote greater appreciation for the origins and evolution of garden plants. The program centers on Jefferson's horticultural interests and the plants he grew at Monticello, but also covers the broad history of plants cultivated in America by including varieties documented through the 19th century and choice North American plants. The CHP is located at nearby Tufton Farm.