NBC29Monticello Unveils New Center and More

Monticello Unveils New Center and More

One of Charlottesville's most famous landmarks is celebrating a new addition this weekend. Monticello will open the doors to a new visitors center Saturday morning, bringing years of planning and construction to fruition. In the coming months, there's even more to come.

Forty-two thousand square feet of wood, stone and brick have ushered in a new addition to Thomas Jefferson's home. 

"The total cost of the project was $43 million, and it was all from private sources. We had some very generous leadership donors who contributed quite a bit," shared Monticello's Wayne Mogielnicki.

The Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center and Smith Education Center will open this weekend. Mogielnicki says the three story facility is built to be a green facility and is made from local materials.

"Most of the materials, a lot of the materials are from the state of Virginia: the stone, wood. We have a geothermal heating and cooling system. We have two green roofs," revealed Mogielnicki.

The visitor's center hosts a new welcome pavilion, cafeteria, gift shop and classroom facility. More features are still under construction and will be unveiled next April, but Monticello says they wanted to make the features that are already completed available in the meantime.

According to Mogielnicki, "These facilities are ready to be opened, and to provide our visitors the kind of comfort and facilities we think they're accustomed to."     

The visitor's center will have a soft opening Saturday with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. accompanied by a fife and drum band. The entire facility will have its grand opening on April 15, 2009.