The clock is ticking on a chance to live in Tysons rent-free — if you’ll agree to restore and maintain the historic property.
The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) is accepting applications until Aug. 24 at 5 p.m. for a resident curator for Ash Grove, one of the county’s few still-standing houses from the 18th century.
Located at 8881 Ashgrove House Lane near the Westwood Village townhomes, Ash Grove was added to the park authority’s resident curator program in May, but the first application didn’t come in until July, triggering a 30-day deadline for additional submissions.
FCPA spokesperson Benjamin Boxer confirmed an application had been submitted, but details won’t be available until the park authority releases them for public input.
“To ensure the integrity of the application process, we do not release the details of the applications received until the public comment stage of the evaluation,” he said. “At this time, we do not yet have a date set for public comment.”
Established in 2014, the resident curator program offers long-term, rent-free leases to historic residential properties in exchange for a commitment to their rehabilitation and upkeep. Other nearby sites in the program include the Lahey Lost Valley House in Wolf Trap, which is still seeking a curator, and the Lebowitz house at Clemyjontri Park in McLean.
The Lebowitz house is listed as “in process” by the park authority, whose board approved a master development plan for the park in 2022 that would’ve been anchored by an arts center. However, the McLean Project for the Arts, the prospective operator, is now pursuing a new downtown facility instead.
According to a press release, the FCPA chooses curators “through an open and competitive process” that includes a formal proposal outlining the applicant’s “demonstrated experience and competency in historic preservation techniques, financial capabilities and the incorporation of public benefits.”
As an example of public benefits, ServiceSource now provides programs for people with disabilities at the Ellmore Farmhouse in Frying Pan Farm Park, which also has a cafe and gift shop that employs the nonprofit’s participants.
Originally built in 1790 by Thomas Fairfax, Ash Grove was part of a sprawling plantation where Fairfax and then his son Henry Fairfax lived until the latter’s death in 1847. The house and 241 acres of the estate were then sold in 1850 to a New York farmer named James Sherman, whose family lived in and preserved the house for nearly 150 years, according to the FCPA.
More from the park authority’s summary:
The Shermans were leaders in Fairfax County and advocated for progressive education reform. During the 20th century, the Sherman family preserved Ash Grove despite an extensive house fire in 1960. At the time of the fire the house had just been documented by the Historic American Building Survey and most of the molding, windows, and doors had been removed for restoration. The house was able to be fully restored with many of the original architectural features and a new kitchen and garage addition was added to the rear.
Subdivided in 1997 to create Westwood Village, Ash Grove has been whittled down to roughly one acre of land, including other preserved structures, such as an 18th century brick kitchen and a smokehouse. The house has Federal-style architecture and encompasses 4,200 square feet of finished space.
Evidence of the 1960 fire can still be seen in “charring marks” on some of the wood flooring, the FCPA says.
According to a 2024 treatment plan, the house’s rehabilitation will cost an estimated $236,955. The park authority previously opened the site up for a curator in 2018, but some improvements, including carpet removal, window and porch repairs and HVAC replacement, were made since then.
Photo via Fairfax County Park Authority/Flickr
