Within the Commonwealth’s over 450,000 acres of State Parks are a number of unused, historically significant buildings. Over time, these properties have fallen prey to the elements and vandalism. The Historic Curatorship Program was established in to preserve these properties through a unique public-private partnership model.

Through the program, DCR partners with a Curator who agrees to rehabilitate, manage and maintain a historic property in return for a long-term lease. As a result, DCR secures the long-term preservation of threatened historic sites and Curators exchange their hard work and unique skills for the opportunity to live or work in a one-of-a-kind location.

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.

This story map highlights the program basics, displays the properties through an interactive map, includes historic images and before and after comparisons and showcases some of it's major accomplishments.

This Story Map was created by Kevin Allen, DCR's Historic Curatorship Program Manager in February 2020.

For more information on the Historic Curatorship Program, visit tinyurl.com/ma-curators or email HCPRequests@mass.gov.