Vote On Stanton House Grant This Wednesday

The Adam Stanton House, the historic residence built in 1789, is slated to receive a grant from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation.

The $20,000 grant (which is approved, with conditions) requires a matching amount of $20,000 from the town/taxpayers.

There will be a town meeting this Wednesday, Dec. 12, at 6:15pm at Andrews Memorial Town Hall for a vote. A copy of the legal notice can be viewed at the end of this article.

David Perrelli, curator of The Adam Stanton House and General Store at 63 East Main Street explains, "that the Stanton House receives no money from the town, the state or the Clinton Historical Society."

Their funds for the upkeep of the historic museum come from a private trust that is dwindling.

"There is $190,000 in the trust, and we've spent $30,000 this year on structural upgrades," said Perrelli. "In order to be considered for future grants for the restoration and preservation of the building, we need a historic structures report."

The $20,000 in matching funds from the town, which has been approved by the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance, will allow the Stanton House to retain the expertise of four consultants to complete a historic structures report.

"Any historic building contemplating any future restoration and expecting to receive future grant money, first needs to have this document in place," said Perrelli.

The historic structures report is a roadmap for renovation and includes a set of architectural drawings (none of the Stanton House exist), a comparative paint analysis, and research material into the building including its design, interiors, inventory and the record of any past additions and/or renovations.  It will also pay for a thorough analysis of the structure -- from framing to wiring -- using state-of-the-art techniques, added Perrelli.  Professional recommendations will be made for physical improvements as well as how to raise the house's visibility as a tourist attraction.  This analysis, commonly called a "Historic Structure Report" (HSR), is necessary for eligibility for further funding from outside sources. 

"The Stanton House is a unique building of an unusual design," explains Perrelli. "It is large for a residence and has a commercial structure attached which is not common. The house never left the family and is a time capsule which includes all of their furniture and belongings."

"It truly gives us a glimpse of how a wealthy merchant family lived during this time," he said.

In essence, Perrelli said, "if we don't get the approval of voters for the matching $20,000, we lose the preservation grant. If we lose the grant, we lose an effective case for any future grants."

For more information on the Stanton House, visit their website and their Facebook page.

Public Notice of the Town Meeting:

The electors of the Town of Clinton and all other citizens qualified to vote in town meetings of the said Town of Clinton are hereby notified and warned that a Special Town Meeting will be held at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at the Andrews Memorial Town Hall, 54 East Main Street, Clinton, Connecticut to hear and consider the following:

RESOLVED: to appropriate $20,000 from undesignated towards a matching Grant for the Stanton House as proposed by the Essex Savings Bank for a Historic Structures Report

RESOLVED: to approve the purchase of 69-69A Killingworth Turnpike for the purpose of the New Morgan School.

Dated at Clinton, Connecticut the 20th day of November 2012.
William W. Fritz, Jr., First Selectman