First of two articles: Resident Curator Programs ever popular

Based on the traffic this blog has gotten, it seems that hundreds of people are interested in the variety of Resident Curator Programs across the country.  This article is the first of a two-part round-up of the more prominent Resident Curator Programs we know about, with links to the programs themselves. If you know of others, please let me know so we can add to this list.

What is a Resident Curator Program?

A person, family, for profit or non-profit organization may apply to be a Resident Rurator depending on the program’s guidelines. The purpose of the program is to find responsible people willing to restore and maintain historic properties, often located on park land, that the state cannot afford to maintain.  Under a long-term lease agreement, the Resident Curator’s lease contains provisions to show progress toward restoration and maintenance. The Resident Curator provides his or her own funds to restore and live in the building. Since the curator is a tenant, they are unable to mortgage their properties or seek financing for work. Often there are provisions that permit the public to come and view the restoration in progress a few times a year. 

Connecticut

By far the State  of Connecticut’s Resident Curator program that has caused the most traffic on this web site has been the new Resident Curator Program just announced this spring in Connecticut. The updated web site on the CT Department of  Environmental Protection (the sponsoring agency) has a very helpful program overview, and an excellent Frequently Asked Questions section.

It is hoped that the new Resident Curator Program can help two dozen or more vacant and underutilized historic buildings on park land, by finding a long-term tenant who will take on the restoration and maintenance work in lieu of paying rent.

Connecticut continues its new Resident Curator Program according to an April 2010 article in The Hartford Courant tells more about program goals.  This program is housed in the Department of Environmental Protection.

Maryland

Maryland has a very highly regarded Resident Curator Program, and they post all of their rules and guidelines for potential tenants on their website, so it is an excellent place to begin to learn how these programs work.  Their program, within the Department of Natural Resources, also hopes to place families in vacant properties on state parkland, so that the tenants can restore them over a long-term lease.  Currently the Doncaster House is up for lease.

The Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission also has a county wide program for the two counties they administer Prince George’s and Montgomery County MD. I profiled this program as one of my 12 case studies in my book New Solutions for House Museums,  published by AltaMira Press in 2007. You can learn more here.

Delaware

Delaware’s Resident Curator program is also within their state parks and recreation has a small program that they hope to expand. Currently the department is offering the Warrington House in Trap Pond State Park for lease to a curator.

In Delaware, the New Castle County parks department has begun to plan a Resident Curator Program. No properties have been leased yet, but they are seeking to develop a list of potential interested tenants.  Your name can be included on the interested party list if you click the link in this article.

We will discuss other state Resident Curator Programs in a subsequent post in the next few weeks. Please contact us to learn more about these innovative programs and how they might be useful to you.