Dear Friends of Durant-Kenrick Homestead,

We are pleased to share exciting news about the Durant-Kenrick Homestead project (286 Waverley Avenue).

Major Developments: The Newton Board of Aldermen approved Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding of $2.7 million for the Durant- Kenrick Homestead. These "challenge" grants will be used to:

• Restore and preserve the house built in 1732 and its historic grounds
• Provide accessibility for people with disabilities
• Construct an education and resource center
• Create programs focusing on the history of the Durant and Kenrick families, the architectural significance of the home, and the horticultural importance of the grounds.

"The Challenge:" The Newton Historical Society must raise $900,000 in private funding before the CPA funds are released. The Society, a 501c(3) non-profit organization, seeks to raise a total of $1.3 million in order to complete restoration and fully fund the endowment that will support the Homestead and the on-site programs in perpetuity.

Fundraising Progress: The Society has retained fundraising consultant Beth Tishler to facilitate the launch of the capital campaign. Two major gifts, each of $100,000, have already been pledged by the highly respected Mabel Louise Riley Foundation and a donor who wishes to remain anonymous for now. We look forward to communicating additional success once our formal capital campaign is underway.

Vision for the Future: The Durant- Kenrick Homestead will bring to life three centuries of history, saliently recounting the stories of its residents, the City of Newton, and our great nation. The families who inhabited the home were civic leaders during the American Revolution, champions of social justice as abolitionists and suffragists, and innovators who introduced and cultivated new specimen trees and plants. We are honored to have the opportunity to protect their legacy and the responsibility of preserving this historic treasure of civic engagement.

Please Stay Tuned: We will provide more information as the project unfolds. We appreciate your interest and future involvement in this vital project. Only with the help of our community can this vision come to fruition.

Cynthia Stone, Director of the Newton Historical Society/Newton History Museum, can be reached at (617) 796-1451 if you would like more information.

Best wishes,

Dena Rashes and Peter Dimond
Co-Chairs, Friends of Durant-Kenrick Homestead

Historic Newton/The Jackson Homestead and Museum Historic Newton is a public-private partnership between the City of Newton and the Newton Historical Society, Inc, a non-profit organization Questions or comments: Email © 2010 Historic Newton