Sources say that the gift, given for the festive season as well as for Pitt's 48th birthday, was meant to invoke architect Frank Lloyd Wright's classic house, Fallingwater. In 2006, Pitt and Jolie, 36, went to visit the 1935 home, built over a waterfall. Pitt allegedly had been itching to see it ever since reading about it in an architectural history class in college.
"Brad has always loved Fallingwater and his first trip there was unforgettable," a source told the UK's Daily Mail. "Angelina wanted to get him something incredibly special and, because she knows how much he loves architecture, she thought this would be perfect," the source added.
According to the source, the idea is for Pitt to design a home to sit on the property. "Brad has dreamed of a home with the sound of a waterfall cascading under the house ... Brad has always wanted to design his own house," the source explained. "He wants to pull all aspects of nature, light, glass and varying levels into the concept."
Pitt has shown a keen interest in architecture before. In 2007, he initiated the Make It Right project, commissioning 13 architecture firms to help rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, which was heavily hit by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A year later, Pitt also consulted on an environmentally-friendly hotel in Dubai. "While acting is my career, architecture is my passion," Pitt said at the time.