The Fairfax County Park Authority will soon begin evaluating applications for curatorship of the historic Dranesville Tavern, located in the Dranesville District at 11919 Leesburg Pike, Herndon.
The evaluation process will include multiple livestreamed work sessions, a public meeting and a public comment period to receive public input and questions for consideration of the applicants. Details pertaining to the proposed curator application and opportunities for submitting public comments are now available online at on the Dranesville Tavern project website.
The Park Authority Evaluation Team will convene at its initial work session on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 10:30 a.m. The meeting will be livestreamed via the Dranesville Tavern project website and a recording will be made available following the meeting. Public comments will be accepted online through the Dranesville Tavern project website and via mail starting Feb. 24 through March 25 at 5 p.m.
The Park Authority will also host an in-person public meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17 at the McLean Community Center, located at 1234 Ingleside Ave. in McLean. The meeting will include an overview of the Resident Curator Program, presentations by curator applicants for the Dranesville Tavern and an opportunity for community members to ask questions.
At least one subsequent session will be held at 10 a.m. on March 31. While the work sessions on Feb. 24 and March 31 will be viewable by the public, they will not include a public comment period.
Dranesville Tavern is one of the few remaining examples of a rural Virginia inn or ordinary. Located at the intersection of two major roads (Georgetown Pike and Alexandria Leesburg Pike), it served travelers moving through the region. Built in 1823 by Stanford Cockerille, it originally consisted of two two-story log structures.
The inn changed hands over the years with various owners adding onto the original structure. The tavern remained open to the public until 1946 and to boarders until 1968. In the 1970s, the tavern was threatened by the expansion of Route 7 until the Park Authority purchased it and moved it 135 feet away from its original location.
Dranesville Tavern has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as on the Fairfax Inventory of Historic Sites for its association with the turnpike trade in Virginia.
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 stephanie.langton@fairfaxcounty.gov.