Public invited to learn about the resident curator applicant for White gardens
The public is invited to a virtual session March 2 to learn about the application submitted by a potential “resident curator” for the Margaret White Gardens property.
Under the resident curator program, the Fairfax County Park Authority selects a resident to live in the house rent free while they carry out and pay for renovations and improvements.
Related story: Park Authority seeks ‘resident curator’ to restore the house at the Margaret White Gardens
The house is located within the 13-acre John C. and Margaret K. White Gardens Horticultural Park in the Falls Church area of Mason District.
Margaret White deeded the property to Fairfax County in 1999 with the goal of preserving the family’s large collection of rhododendrons and other plants.
The resident curator application was submitted by Margaret (Meg) Stout, a Navy engineer, and her husband Bryan Stout, who has some homebuilding experience.
Meg Stout’s daughter and son-in-law Tara and David Phillips would be the primary residents of the White house, while the Stouts would contribute the financial resources for improving the property. All four adults would provide the labor.
Related story: An open house at the White Gardens reveals how much work a resident curator would have to take on
At the March 2 meeting (at 10 a.m.), the applicant will present the proposal to the Resident Curator Evaluation Team. Access the meeting on Zoom here.
While the meeting is open to the public, there won’t be an opportunity for public comment. People can, however, submit comments in writing to the project manager, Stephanie Langton, at [email protected], by April 13.
The public can also listen in on additional meetings of the Resident Curator Evaluation Team on March 29 at 7 p.m., April 6 at 10 a.m., April 10, at 10 a.m., and April 20 at 10 a.m. The March 29 meeting is the only one that will allow public comment.
The application submitted by Meg Stout calls for restoring the house, which was built in 1939, and the much older barn to “full functionality and historical integrity.”
They would rebuild the greenhouse and use it to propagate garden cuttings, demonstrate gardening techniques, and demonstrate aquaponics. (Meg Stout is an expert in aquaponic gardening.)
The applicants would also install a “modern adjunct residence,” such as a portable, out-of-the-box home manufactured by Boxabl.
That building would be used to provide accessible restrooms for visitors – the bathrooms in the house are not ADA-compliant – and to potentially serve as a multimedia visitor center.
They would use the barn to store tools for restoring the house and for staging demonstrations for the public.
The resident curator program requires “reasonable public access consistent with the property’s nature and use at least once per year.”
Related story: Margaret White wouldn’t have wanted a ‘resident curator’ for the park that bears her name, her son says
The Stout’s application proposes quarterly events giving the public access to the house “as soon as practicable and certainly upon completion of the treatment plan circa 2027.”
They would host public events, featuring such seasonal activities as wool preparation and spinning, water barrel construction, a rhododendron festival, birdhouse construction, a pig roast, pumpkin carving, and Christmas cookie decorating and caroling.
They propose working with Green Spring Gardens staff on multimedia exhibits, signage for self-guided tours of the gardens, and volunteer workdays to remove invasive plants.
The proposed budget submitted by the Stouts includes these costs: $270,930 for repairs and improvements to the house; $57,296 for fixing up the barn; $10,000 for tree preservation and removal; $30,000 to rebuild the greenhouse; and $100,000 for the ancillary structure.
Total annual maintenance costs are estimated at $12,000, including nearly $9,000 for utilities and taxes. The application proposes a 33-year lease.
Interesting program – and vision by Ms. Stout.
Last I visited there was yet no park sign at the entrance, no place to sit for relaxation/rest/observation, no picnic table, no interpretive signage, no trail, nothing to make the visitor feel welcome.
It has all the look and feel of a private property, assuming one even knows to go there and enter. How will that change, for better, or more likely for worse, while all the resident curator activity is underway?
And, shouldn’t any member of the public, individual or group, be permitted, encouraged, to organize a pumpkin carving or other activity there—right now?
No criticism of the applicants here, they seem to be very wonderful people. Just being aware that the substantial public funding of this program and the groundwork for it should be analyzed in the balance: how could that money have been used to launch the park’s publicly funded own master plan?
Just an entrance sign, one bench, to start. Is that too much to ask?
A vibrant and welcoming White Gardens! Congratulations – this is great news. We are familiar with the property and are excited by the possibilities, look forward to welcoming the Stouts to the neighborhood, and as always, commit to being good neighbors and contribute to the wellbeing of the gardens and participating in the public events they’re proposing.
Nevertheless, we have reason to express some hesitation as this deal is brokered. Firstly, we hope the parties will ensure they adhere to (1) Margaret White’s bequest and its vision, mission and legal obligations, and (2) the Master Plan developed by the Fairfax County Park Authority in 2006 (available through Search on its website), on the basis of which a $500K bond was taxpayer-approved and spent. Secondly, we hope that someone from the County is doing some due diligence on whether the costs as presented are feasible and viable – they look very low in the current environment. Thirdly, we hope that the right requirements and covenants are established so that public access is maintained while recognizing the privacy of the family. Thorough due diligence is in all our interests.
Finally, what recourse will any of the parties have – including the public, FCPA and the Stouts – if the conditions and covenants established in the agreement are not met? Given the hundreds of thousands that have already been spent on this property with no appreciable improvements or accountability, Fairfax County residents and any ‘Resident Curator’ partner deserve a thorough work plan, transparency, and the full commitment of the FCPA.
We applaud the Stouts’ aspirations and commitment to restoring John and Margaret White’s legacy to Fairfax County. The outcome of this plan could establish a County-wide precedent for years to come, for better or for worse.