Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced the launch of Connecticut’s Resident Curator Program, designed to form public-private partnerships to preserve historic homes in state parks and forests that the state is not able to restore, maintain or use.
The Smith-Curtiss House, in Osbornedale State Park, was chosen as one of the first two homes in the program.
Resident curators will receive long term leases for the houses in exchange for complete restoration, renovation and ongoing maintenance of the property.
“The Resident Curator Program is a win-win program for all partners,” the Governor said at a ceremony at the Worthen House in Granby, one of the first homes to be part of the program. ​“The Resident Curator has the opportunity to live or conduct business in a state park or forest and to play a key role in the preservation of state and local history. The program frees Connecticut taxpayers from the cost of upkeep or even demolition of some properties. The end result is the restoration of an important piece of Connecticut heritage that will still be available to the public.”
The Governor said the Resident Curator Program will also help reduce vandalism, increase park safety and build partnerships with local communities.
Connecticut Department of Environmental (DEP) Commissioner Amey Marrella said, ​“The DEP looks forward to soliciting creative proposals that potential resident curators will have to return these historic homes to the glory and elegance of the past. With nearly twenty other state park properties waiting to be considered for the Resident Curator Program, we anticipate many years of private-public partnerships and the ability to share Connecticut’s state parks and forests with the resident curators and local community.”
The Smith-Curtiss House
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 2,300 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.
Resident Curator Program
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.
The rent for the house is paid in the form of restoration, rehabilitation and ongoing maintenance of the house and property.
The Resident Curator is not required to live in the house but is required to 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 programs would be free and open to the public. The property remains in the public trust and the public cannot be restricted from the land at any time.
Twenty properties in Connecticut have been identified as eligible for this innovative new program.
The goal of the program is to offer two to four houses per year. These historic homes range in date from the mid-18th century through the 1960s.
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.
The criteria by which the properties have been assessed include:
- Historic significance of the property
- Condition of buildings on the property
- Ease of access to the property by the lessee and the public
- Practicability of portioning off a piece of land around the house and possible outbuildings that would neither interfere with any DEP​’s functions nor inhibit public use of the surrounding lands.
To Apply
Potential Resident Curators should visit the DEP website at: www.ct.gov/dep/residentcurator.
Over the summer structural evaluations of the properties will take place. After completion, the DEP will issue Requests for Proposals on the above website.
Proposals will be reviewed by a committee made up of DEP staff and external participants of diverse backgrounds that may include engineers, architects, and historic conservation experts. Top applicants may be called for an interview with the committee to further discuss their proposals.
For further information call (860) 424‑3179.
