Connecticut to start Resident Curator program

The State of Connecticut is about to start a Resident Curator Program.

Resident Curator Programs offer vacant properties, usually homes, on state-owned park land to a tenant who commits to restore and maintain the property in return for a long-term lease.

Resident Curator Programs were pioneered in Massachusetts and there is a very successful program in Maryland.  Delaware, New York State and several other counties have created similar programs. Connecticut is to be congratulated for starting a Resident Curator Program in their state.

Governor Rell will make the announcement today, according to yesterday’s Connecticut League of Historic Organizations e-blast.  From the press release about the program they note that “The Giddings-Worthen House is the first home to be offered in the Connecticut’s Resident Curator Program that is designed to form public-private partnerships to preserve historic homes located in state parks and forests. Twenty properties in Connecticut have been identified as eligible for this innovative new program.”

A recent post on the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation web site discusses preparation for launching the program. This program has gotten more blog traffic than almost any other post. Check the DEP web site for their program description and FAQ which I found very helpful.

I profiled the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission’s Resident Curator Program in New Solutions for House Museums in 2007 as being an innovative means for governments or nonprofits to find a compatible use and restoration funding for an otherwise deteriorating state-owned historic building at no cost to the government or the nonprofit.

Resident Curators enter into a long-term lease or other agreements (sometimes a license) with the owner of the property to provide restoration and maintenance of the historic property in return for free rent for the term of the agreement. Most programs require a minimum amount of funds to be invested into the rehabilitation and restoration in order to bring the building up to code, and to restore it to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.

For further information  about the Connecticut Resident Curator Program, contact Cyndy Chanaca in DEP Office of Communications at (860) 424-4100.

Learn more about Resident Curator Programs in New Solutions for House Museums, buy it now from Amazon.com or from any independent bookseller.