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STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE CHAMBERS HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT 06106 |
M. Jodi Rell Governor |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 13, 2010
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Contact: 860-524-7313
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Governor Rell: First Home in Resident Curator Program
Now Ready for Restoration
Competitive proposals sought for the restoration and reuse
Of Historic Smith-Curtiss House in Derby
Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that the historic Smith-Curtis House in Derby is ready for renovation and restoration and interested individuals or groups may now apply to become the first Resident Curator in the state of Connecticut.
Connecticut’s Resident Curator Program, offered by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is designed to form public-private partnerships to preserve historic homes in state parks and forests that the state is not able to maintain or use. Resident curators will restore and renovate the homes while enjoying a long-term lease on the property.
“The Smith-Curtiss House, where we stand today in Osbornedale State Park, is a unique property listed on the State Register of Historic Places,” the Governor said at a ceremony in Derby today. “The house and property were purchased by Frances Osborne Kellogg as part of her large dairy farm and on-going conservation efforts. It is fitting that our first Resident Curator restore a home whose original owner was a passionate conservationist and an environmentalist.”
Modeled after programs in Massachusetts, Maryland and Delaware State Parks, the Resident Curator Program provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations, or businesses to enter into a 20- to 25-year lease of a historic building on State property. In exchange, the Resident Curator is required to perform restoration, rehabilitation and ongoing maintenance of the house and property. The Resident Curator is not required to live in the house but must invite the public onto the property at least twice a year for programs. These may include tours of the house and property, wildlife viewing or special events. The property remains in the public trust.
Twenty properties in Connecticut have been identified as eligible for this innovative new program. The goal of the program is to offer 2-4 houses per year. These historic homes range in date from the mid-18th century through the 1960’s. Over the years these homes were donated, gifted or purchased as larger parcels of State land and are now in need of extensive renovation and rehabilitation. Currently, there is no funding available for these renovations, nor is there an immediate programmatic need by the DEP for the houses.
“Now is the time for those interested in the challenge of restoring a part of Connecticut’s history to submit proposals to become Connecticut’s first Resident Curator. The Resident Curator will be responsible for restoring the Smith-Curtiss House to its long-lost splendor in exchange for a long term lease which allows some form of public access to the property,” said DEP Deputy Commissioner Susan Frechette.
For those interested in viewing the interior of the Smith-Curtiss house for purposes of responding to the RFP, the DEP will hold two open houses:
· Friday, October 29, 2010 from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.
· Saturday, November 20, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Prospective Resident Curators are encouraged to attend one or both of the open houses, and to bring along any advisors – engineers, architects, contractors, etc. that they might wish to employ in the course of the house’s restoration.
Potential Resident Curators may visit www.ct.gov/dep/residentcurator to complete the necessary Request for Proposals (RFPs) to be considered as a Resident Curator at the Smith-Curtiss House in Derby. RFPs for the Worthen House in Enders State Forest in Granby will be available later this fall. Call (860) 424-3179 for more information.
Background on the Smith-Curtiss House, Derby
The property is listed on the State Register of Historic Places, but is not yet on the National Register of Historic Places. It is thought to be one of the oldest houses in Derby. The house and property were purchased by Frances Osborne Kellogg as part of her large dairy farm and on-going land conservation efforts.
The site includes a center chimney saltbox house and a detached two-bay garage. The property is a portion of Osbornedale State Park but has direct access to Hawthorne Avenue. In 1956, Osbornedale State Park was willed to the people of Connecticut by Frances Osborne Kellogg, granddaughter of John W. Osborne, one of the Naugatuck Valley's early industrial entrepreneurs. By adhering to the belief that one should always buy land but never sell it, Mrs. Kellogg gradually acquired the numerous separate farms which now comprise the 411-acre Osbornedale State Park.
The house is approximately 2300 square feet. The center portion of the house was built between 1740 and 1780, with additions in mid-19th century and early 20th century. Located on the ground level are the kitchen, the keeping room, dining room, parlor, and a full bathroom. On the second floor are three bedrooms and access to an unfinished attic. On the ground floor there is access to a poured concrete floored, stone lined basement with a gas burning, forced hot air furnace.
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