[MassHistPres] New property available - MA DCR's Historic Curatorship Program

[Allen, Kevin (DCR)]

The Department of Conservation and Recreation is pleased to invite proposals for the rehabilitation, reuse and maintenance of the following historic property:

Wilbur Farmhouse, Borderland State Park, Easton, MA

The Request for Proposals seeks to identify qualified parties interested in exchanging their skills and resources for a long term lease in one of the state's most historically significant parks.

The Wilbur Farmhouse was built by George Wilbur in 1786 and is the oldest structure within Borderland State Park.  Wilbur raised cattle on the property, which was later sold and occupied by generations of farmers until the land was purchased by the Ames family in 1949, and incorporated into their sprawling estate, Borderland.  The house is a one-and-a-half story Georgian-influenced Cape Cod style residence with a one-story rear kitchen addition. While DCR has recently performed stabilization work on the property, significant rehabilitation work is required to make the property suitable for occupation.

Curators are selected through an open and competitive process and proposed reuses must be compatible with the historic and natural character of the park or forest. Proposals are evaluated according to the experience of the applicant, the quality of the reuse plan, proof of sufficient resources to undertake the project, and level of public benefit beyond providing biannual public access.  Average lease terms range from 20 to 30 years.

Electronic copies of the Request for Proposals, as well as more details on DCR's Historic Curatorship Program are located on the DCR website at http://www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/curator

OPEN HOUSE (Please RSVP):
Saturday November 13, 2010,  10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, to RSVP for the Open House, or to request a hard copy of the RFP:

EMAIL:    HCP.Requests at state.ma.us
MAIL:     7th floor, 251 Causeway St.
          Boston, MA 02114
PHONE:    617-626-1361

Responses to the RFPs are due on December 17th by 5pm