Resident Curator Approved For Historic Farmhouse In Herndon

HERNDON, VA — At its Tuesday meeting, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the sub-lease of the historic Ellmore Farmhouse at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon to ServiceSource, Inc., who will serve as the property's resident curator.

Built in 1891, the Ellmore Farmhouse acted as the base of operations for a 50-acre dairy farm up until the 1950s. The two-story structure is located on 2739 West Ox Road within the county's Floris Historic District.

ServiceSource is a nonprofit organization that supports people with disabilities, their families, and caregivers, as a way to facilitate the creation of a more inclusive community. ServiceSource plans to use the farmhouse as a community integration center to provide employment opportunities for up to 15 adults. Its plan is to operate an onsite cafe and craft specialty store.

The board created the Resident Curator Program to preserve the county's under-utilized historic properties by entering into leases with tenants who commit to rehabilitating the properties in accordance with federal guidelines.

Three houses are currently under rehabilitation in the county: the Turner Farmhouse in Great Falls, and the Hannah P. Clark House and Stempson House, which are both located in Lorton.

"This curator is required to follow a detailed work plan for the property based on an historic structures report," said Mike Lambert of the Fairfax County Facilities Management Department. "In exchange, the curator receives rent-free accommodation during the term of the lease."

Once the Fairfax County Park Authority, which oversees the historic properties, identifies a resident curator through a competitive screening process, it leases the property to the board, which then subleases it to the resident curator.

"During the 29 years of the sublease, ServiceSource will rehabilitate the building by making ADA-compliant improvements and incorporating green building design in the manner that respects the late 19th and early 20th century heritage of the structure," Lambert said.

The Fairfax County Park Authority would be responsible for monitoring the progress of the rehabilitation, he added.

Acting on county staff's recommendation to approve the sublease, Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn made a motion to do just that.

"This is a really nice property, an historic property," he said. "I think this is another good example of the good use of the Resident Curator Program. I'm very pleased that this is going forward."

The board then voted unanimously to approve Alcorn's motion to sublease the farmhouse to ServiceSource.

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