Carmel, Calif. — The Big Sur Land Trust (BSLT) announced today that it has completed the purchase of a property and building at 509 Hartnell Street, in downtown Monterey, for the purpose of housing the Land Trust’s office. BSLT will move its office from its current location at the mouth of Carmel Valley to the Hartnell Street building in September 2010.

“The Land Trust’s Board of Directors unanimously approved this purchase as a smart financial investment and one that will serve our organization, mission, supporters and partners well over the long term,” said Dr.George Somero, board chairman of The Big Sur Land Trust.

Located in the downtown Monterey business district, the building includes an historic adobe constructed in 1841 by Gabriel de la Torre that served as a family home for over 50 years. Also known as the “First Federal Court Adobe,” the building is thought to have been the site of the first federal courthouse in California. The adobe was converted to commercial uses in the early 1920s, first as a tea room, later combined with a gift and book shop. A two-story wing was added during this time. Since then, the building has housed professional offices. Although the building was renovated in the early 1990s, its original historic features and aesthetic beauty of the building have been carefully maintained and it remains an important contribution to Monterey history.

“Acquisition of this historic building in this great downtown Monterey location affords us the opportunity to increase our visibility and accessibility, as well as secure an office environment more in keeping with our mission, vision and values,” said Bill Leahy, executive director of The Big Sur Land Trust. “The move provides a more central location for servicing our diverse geography of work covering Big Sur, Carmel Valley, the Monterey seashore and the Salinas Valley. It allows us to control our own destiny in terms of office space and related costs and will safely secure and leverage assets for our future success. The location of the building will also help lessen our environmental impact by reducing a significant number of our staff’s commute miles and drive time from home and to basic services.”

With its current lease set to expire in 2010, the Land Trust, aided by the local commercial real estate firm Mahoney and Associates, conducted a comprehensive review of opportunities in the market to evaluate the best financial options as well as what locations could best support BSLT’s diverse programs over the coming years. BSLT worked with local lender 1st Capital Bank to secure competitive financing that allowed BSLT to lock in its annual occupancy costs at a favorable period in the market.

“In addition to addressing our current and emerging facilities needs, we are pleased that this move will allow us to control long-term costs of operations while partnering with the local business community,” said Dr. Somero.

Founded in 1978, the mission of The Big Sur Land Trust is to conserve the significant lands and waters of California’s Central Coast for all generations. In collaboration with partners and the community, BSLT has protected more than 30,000 acres of land since its inception. The Land Trust is committed to pursuing land and water conservation work that strengthens our communities and inspires a stewardship ethic so that Monterey County can maintain its unique and special place in the world. The goal and commitment of the Land Trust is to pursue resource conservation that supports the well-being of land and people and sustains our region’s unique quality of life for us all. For more information visit www.bigsurlandtrust.org