A historic house in the Wolf Trap area that has previously served as a plantation home and an art studio could soon take on new life once again, thanks to the Fairfax County Park Authority’s Resident Curator Program.
An application submitted through the program this summer proposes to restore not only the vacant Lahey Lost Valley House at 9750 Brookmeadow Drive, but also the trails and parkland surrounding it.
“Our vision is to restore the house to a livable condition using historically accurate materials and techniques, while incorporating sustainable practices wherever feasible,” Michael Nakagaki and Sonja Lupescu said in their application. “We aim to preserve the integrity and character of the site while making it a hub for community learning and engagement.”
Following a required 30-day waiting period when it could accept other proposals, the park authority began soliciting public comments on Nakagaki and Lupescu’s application on Oct. 9.
An official review will begin on Nov. 10 with an evaluation team convening for a work session at 10 a.m. A public meeting at Oakton Library on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. and at least one more work session on Nov. 17 will follow before the deadline for public comments arrives at 5 p.m. on Nov. 14.
The Resident Curator Program allows community members and organizations to lease historic properties owned by the park authority rent-free in exchange for a commitment to rehabilitate the site and make it regularly accessible to the public, often through open houses.
Designated as a historic site by Fairfax County since 1970, the Lahey Lost Valley House was originally constructed around 1760 to anchor a 547-acre plantation run by Henry Gunnell, a major of the county’s militia during the American Revolutionary War who later became a circuit and district court justice.
The estate was divided into smaller portions by subsequent generations but remained in the Gunnell family until the house, now down to 45 acres of land, was sold in 1940 to Richard and Carlotta Lahey.
A painter and art teacher trained in New York City’s Ashcan School, Richard Lahey renovated the house by separating a kitchen addition from the 19th century and turning it into a freestanding artist studio. He and Carlotta then built a new, two-story addition with a kitchen, pantry, furnace room and two bedrooms.
After Richard died in 1978, Carlotta sold 22 acres — roughly half the remaining estate — to a developer in the late 1980s but continued to live in the house until her own death in February 1999. Prior to her death, she had agreed to bequeath the property to the park authority on the condition that the house be preserved with the furnishings in place and the surrounding land be left mostly undisturbed as a nature preserve, according to the FCPA.
According to their application, the Lahey Lost Valley rehabilitation would be the first historic restoration project undertaken independently by Nakagaki and Lupescu.
A communications manager with college degrees in history, Lupescu said she learned about preserving historical artifacts from working on archeological sites in Jamestown and Yorktown. Her communications experience will also come in handy for establishing a website and using social media to document Lahey Lost Valley’s restoration, history and ecology — a central component of the proposal.
“This website will enable the community to experience and learn from the site beyond the annual open houses,” she wrote, adding that all online content will meet ADA regulations to provide access for people with hearing and vision challenges.
Nakagaki works for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, per his LinkedIn page, giving him expertise in federal environmental regulations that will be useful for nature-related activities and ensuring the restoration is done sustainably. He also noted that he has been interested in woodworking as an amateur since college, building custom furniture and restoring antique pieces.
“I will harness this passion and experience to sustainably retrofit historic materials, ensuring that replacements match the original as closely as possible or custom-building new elements when necessary,” he wrote in the application. “This approach will not only preserve the historic character of our buildings but also create significant cost savings in repairs.”
As part of the program’s public access requirements, the pair said they plan to host regular open houses — initially, once a year before shifting to a more frequent schedule as the rehabilitation progresses — as well as volunteer days where community members could help clear the house’s yard and the trails on the site.
Some of the open houses would focus on the restoration work, while others would nod to Richard Lahey’s legacy as an artist by giving local artists a space to showcase their work or teach classes.
“We plan to partner with local artists, native plant experts and educational institutions (schools, scouting groups, community centers etc.) to help plan and scope a variety of activities to keep the offerings at the park evergreen and interesting,” the application says.
Though the agreement with Carlotta Lahey had dictated that the house should be left uninhabited, an FCPA spokesperson says the future curators will reside on the site to ensure they’re able to actively take care of it and provide security, as recommended by a 2002 development plan.
“After careful consideration, and with respect for the Lahey’s legacy, the property was included in the Resident Curator Program to ensure that the structure is stabilized, restored, and actively cared for long-term,” the spokesperson said. “The Park Authority is committed to honoring the Lahey’s legacy by working with the curators to create an environment to showcase the Lahey collection.”
A lease agreement will need to be approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
The most recently authorized resident curator lease was for the Ash Grove house in Tysons. The board voted 9-0 after a public hearing on July 15 to lease the 18th-century residence to lighthouse preservationist Sheila Consaul, who offered to provide open houses and scheduled tours while rehabilitating the property.
