The Fairfax County Park Authority will soon begin evaluating a Resident Curator Program application for curatorship of the historic Lahey Lost Valley house, located at 9750 Brookmeadow Drive, Vienna. The assessment process will include livestreamed work sessions, a public meeting and a public comment period. Details pertaining to the application and opportunities for submitting public comments are now available at the Lahey Lost Valley webpage.
The evaluation team will convene its initial work session at 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 10. The session will be livestreamed at the Lahey Lost Valley webpage and a recording will be made available following the meeting. The public meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13 at Oakton Library. Public comments will be accepted online and via mail starting Oct. 9 through Nov. 14 at 5 p.m.
At least one subsequent session will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 17. While the work sessions will be viewable by the public, they will not include a public comment period.
The Lahey Lost Valley House is a mid-18th century brick-hall parlor house with a 1940s brick addition. The house is located on land granted to William Gunnell in 1730. His son Henry Gunnell, together with Henry’s wife, Catherine, built a working plantation on the site by 1760. The Gunnell family were leaders in Fairfax County throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The family continued to own the property through the 1930s.
In 1940, the house and 45 acres were sold to Richard and Carlotta Lahey. The Laheys moved a wood-framed kitchen addition off the brick house and used it as a freestanding artist’s studio. In its place, the Laheys constructed a two-story brick addition. Between 1990 and 1991, Carlotta Lahey arranged with FCPA a bequest to be included in her will to donate the house, furnishings and 22 acres of land. FCPA took possession of the property after Mrs. Lahey passed away in 1999.
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 by visiting the Resident Curator Program website. For additional questions, contact Stephanie Langton, manager of the Resident Curator Program, at 571-407-6586 or the Public Information Office at parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov.