The Fairfax County Park Authority will soon begin evaluating an application for curatorship of the historic Ash Grove house located in the Hunter Mill District at 8881 Ashgrove House Lane, Vienna. The evaluation will include multiple livestreamed work sessions, a public meeting and a public comment period to receive public input and questions for consideration of the applicant. Details pertaining to the proposed curator application and opportunities for submitting public comments are now available online at https://engage.fairfaxcounty.gov/ash-grove.
Public comments will be accepted online and via mail starting Tuesday, Oct. 15 through Thursday, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. The Park Authority will also host an in-person public meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 28 at the Patrick Henry Library (101 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). The meeting will include an overview of the Resident Curator Program, the curator application for the Ash Grove house and an opportunity for community members to ask questions.
The Evaluation Team will convene at its initial work session on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be livestreamed at https://engage.fairfaxcounty.gov/ash-grove, and a recording will be made available following the meeting. Subsequent sessions have been scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12 (as needed) and Tuesday, Nov. 19. While the work sessions will be viewable by the public, they will not include a public comment period.
Ash Grove is one of the few standing 18th-century Virginia houses and was built by the Fairfax family. Thomas Fairfax built the original portion of the house in 1790, and the family inhabited the house until 1847. The house sits on approximately one acre of land between the densely wooded Old Courthouse Spring Branch stream valley and the Westwood Village townhouse subdivision. The property’s grounds have several historic structures, including the house and restored 18th-century brick kitchen, and smokehouse.
The Resident Curator Program offers long-term lease agreements to qualified tenants in beautiful public park settings. The curator leases are without charge in exchange for financial commitment and approved rehabilitation of the Park Authority’s underutilized historic properties.
Learn more at by visiting the Resident Curator Program website. For additional questions, contact Stephanie Langton, manager of the Resident Curator Program, at 703-324-8791.