KENT, Conn.—After years of discussion about the future of Swift House, a town-owned historic building on Maple Street, the former Board of Selectmen decided last fall that any decisions should be left to the incoming board.
The issue landed on the new board’s table Tuesday night when members of the Kent Historical Society appeared to argue the case for its preservation.
Studies conducted over the past two years suggested that upgrading the building to make it handicap compliant and appropriate for modern usage might cost up to $2.4 million. The town is divided over whether the building can be made sufficiently useful to warrant the investment.
The house is composed of three separate structures from the 18th and early 19th centuries that were melded into one structure.
Marge Smith, the historical society’s curator and archivist, said the society wants to be involved in finding a way for the town to use it or, failing that, to ensure its preservation if it is sold. Primary for its preservation is having it listed on both the state and national registers of historic places. The listings would bring greater opportunities for grants and would increase its value if it were put on the market.
She said it would add a “certain cachet” to the property if the designation were to be secured, possibly helping to find the right buyer if the town opts to sell. “It will take time to get it on the national register and that will ultimately come down to the town because it is a town-owned property,” she said, adding that the historical society is willing to research the process to help move it forward.
Being on the national register would protect the façade of the building but would not prohibit interior changes. Smith argued that the exterior “is so much a part of the ambiance of this town,” an ambiance that translates into tourists’ dollars.
She termed the estimates given for the restoration last year as “a little over the top” and suggested that the town seeking a wider sampling of costs to get the price down.
She mentioned putting easements on the house that would protect it if it were sold. The protection would probably apply to the historical nature of the building’s shell and not to interior changes.
Members of the historical society are willing to pursue grants that could help with ADA requirements. “It’s so vital to get that done,” said Smith.
The historian suggested ways that the building could be upgraded economically by enlarging the bathroom already on the ground floor and removing an old kitchenette downstairs and an upstairs half-bath to allow construction of a new code-compliant staircase. As for a handicap ramp, she said one existing entry way is wide enough for wheelchairs without being reframed.
The Historical Society would like to have an office there again and it was suggested that groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Commission could make use of the site.
She asked that the Board of Finance “bump back” any capital funding for the building by a year to allow the historians more time to explore possibilities. “The historical society has learned, for instance, that Taylor Swift’s many-times great-grandfather, who is buried in Warren, built the house,” Smith reported. “The historical society is in touch with Swift’s publicist so we have a direct link.”
She noted that Swift has restored several buildings in California and got them listed on the National Register, “so she understands the process.”
That may seem a stretch, but other grant possibilities exists as well and new society director Christine Adams is a certified grant writer who has found funding for other towns in the region.
“I’m committing myself to writing grants for alternative funding so the house can stay in town,” she said, cautioning, “If there are no protective covenants placed on it prior to sale it is at risk for demolition. The national registry is not protective, but it leaves Kent open for government and private grants.”
She has already identified three possibilities and has gotten in touch with private foundations. “There are lots of other avenues for funding,” she concluded.
The selectmen decided to continue to work on the project with Smith and to tour the building once again.
