Historic Landmark in 1971. However, while inclusion of a Colonial-era plantation was part of John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s aspirations for Colonial Williamsburg, the practical challenge with Carter's Grove was that it did not connect directly with the focus on presenting Revolutionary-era Williamsburg and was unable to attract sufficient audiences. Audience development—the appeal to rising generations—is fundamental to the Foundation. On January 2, 2003, the site was closed to the public to save operating funds saying: The main house at Carter's Grove is furnished as it was in 1928, and does not fit into the time period of Colonial Williamsburg. Colonial Williamsburg is away and few visitors make the journey to the plantation. Closer to the downtown Williamsburg area, Colonial Williamsburg operates the Great Hopes Plantation which can easily be reached by the pedestrian traffic from the restored area. An additional hardship in the physical linking between the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg and Carter's Grove Plantation was severe weather damage to bucolic Carter's Grove Country Road in James City County during Hurricane Isabel later in 2003. The storm destroyed many trees along the paved road, which is located almost entirely on private property, and required much of it to be semi-permanently closed, pending funding for costly repairs. (Since the hurricane, the Carter's Grove Plantation property continued to be physically accessible by its main entrance on U.S. Route 60 in Grove, Virginia, although still closed to the public). In 2006, completing a four-year evaluation, CW concluded that the best approach to Carter's Grove was to offer it in a fully protected sale. This was to include restrictions to ensure protection of the James River view shed, wetlands and forest, exterior and interior architecture, and archaeological sites on the property as well as prohibit residential and commercial development. On March 31, 2007, Colonial Williamsburg announced that it would be listing Carter's Grove with a real estate company based in Charlottesville, Virginia, for the amount of $19 million. 2007 and beyond Colonial Williamsburg put Carter's Grove up for sale, asking $19 million. On December 19, 2007, it was publicly announced that Carter's Grove, its Georgian style mansion and had been acquired for $15.3 million by CNET founder Halsey Minor, a Virginia native and wealthy entrepreneur. Per the press release from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation the new owner "plans to use the mansion as a private residence and use the site as a center