The owners of the historic Virginia property that was the home of President James Monroe are facing difficulty in trying to transfer the property to state ownership.
CBS News reports that the 1,200-acre Oak Hill estate in Loudoun County has been owned by the Delashmutt family since they acquired it at auction in 1948. The estate’s residence is where the nation’s fifth president drafted his Monroe Doctrine, and over the years the Delashmutt repeatedly rejected offers from developers.
However, transferring Oak Hill from private to public ownership has been a challenge. The nonprofit group Conservation Fund agreed to purchase the property for $20 million and raised another $32 million – including a $22 million grant from Loudoun County – to turn Oak Hill into a state park. The raised funds would also ensure the site could cover operating expenses for at least 10 years.
But the Virginia Assembly rejected a bill last month to authorize the transfer of Oak Hill to the state, with some legislators expressing concern that the state would wind up covering operational costs.
“There’s a lot of concern amongst some of the finance committee members about the future economics of the property,” said State Sen. Scott Surovell. “I think there’s a way to figure all this out, but I think it might just take a little more time.”
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin could enact a transfer by including Oak Hill in an amendment to the state’s budget that is scheduled to be voted upon next month. Gayle Delashmutt, whose family owns the property, expressed surprise that the legislature was not appreciative of receiving Oak Hill with no upfront expenses.
“I had no idea it was going to be so hard to give this place away,” Delashmutt said.
James Monroe portrait by Gilbert Stuart (1817); property photo courtesy of National Trust for Historic Preservation
