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NOT ONLY HAS THIS PROGRAM PRESERVED HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT BUILDINGS, BUT IT HAS REALLY IMPROVED THE PARK AND THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS A DOUBLE BONUS FOR US. — Allen


“You can never identify everything; things will come up as time goes on and changes will happen. We try to know at least the ma- jor issues and set some thresholds.” In addition, the curator’s work plan is


guided by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. “We also work closely with the Massachusetts Historical Commission, which reviews the final plans from a preservation standpoint,” Allen adds. “We can find creative ways to retain as much of the historic character as possible; there’s an understanding that changes are going to happen.”


Chosen Curators After the RFP goes out, DCR accepts respons- es for eight to 12 weeks, depending on the type of property. During that time, open houses are held so interested parties can inspect the building(s) and ask questions. Then, a team of five or six people, including park staff and managers, cultural resources staff and engineers who ultimately will be the staff working with the curators through the rehabilitation process, decides on a short list of potential curators based on the proposals. The members of the short list are brought in for individual interviews.


“Usually, it comes down to one or two


proposals who are invited in for interviews,” Allen notes. “It’s amazing how the person or group with the vision shines through early in the process. It’s usually a really unique story— someone who has grown up playing Frisbee in the park or a couple who has walked by this house and is heartbroken it’s falling apart. Or it’s a business that knows the unique location and setting is one in a million and can capital- ize on it and make their business plan thrive.” As in the case of Lamson House, it’s help-


ful if curators have construction experience because their costs to self-install a septic


Restore the Charles River Reservation Speedway Headquarters Building


was designed by Charles Austin in the Shingle Style and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, potentially making it eligible for federal and state historic tax credits.


B The property includes more than 56 RETROFIT // May-June 2013


uilt in 1899 between Boston and its western suburbs, the Speed- way was a harness horse-racing track along the Charles River. It


12,000 gross square feet of building space and more than 10,000 gross square feet of stable/garage space on a 1.2-acre lot. “It was built to keep people from racing their horses on the roads,” says Kevin Allen, Historic Curatorship Program manager for the Massachusetts Depart- ment of Conservation and Recreation, Boston. “It includes a police station and a


residence for a caretaker. It could be a lot of things, but we won’t know until people submit their proposals through our open competitive process.” To learn more about this building and


others available through the Historic Curatorship Program, visit www.mass. gov/dcr/stewardship/curator/index. htm and click on “Eligible Properties” in the upper right corner.


PHOTO: MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION


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