The preservation effort to save Weir Farm was a long and arduous process, dating back to 1963, when residential development was first proposed for the site and citizens voiced their concerns to the local press.
In 1969, in an effort to preserve part of the Farm, Weir's daughter Cora Burlingham donated 37 acres of land to the Connecticut Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Resident artists, Doris and Sperry Andrews, initiated petitions and neighborhood rallies and, in 1976, the Committee to Save Weir Pond was formed for the purpose of securing at least enough land to provide a 200-foot border around the "Boston Art Club Pond" that Weir built in 1886.
The Ridgefield Preservation Trust received a grant 1978, from the Connecticut Historical Commission to survey architectural and historical resources, including Weir Farm. The outcome of the research indicated that the Weir Farm complex, not only the Weir Pond, but the farmland, houses, studios and outbuildings constituted a unique site -- a still extant, original painter's environment -- the only completely intact site of an American Impressionist painter.
In 1978, letters from directors and curators of major art institutions began pouring in from around the country to express support for the Farm's inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1983, The Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibited a major retrospective of J. Alden Weir's work which heightened national interest in the Farm. The same year, the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national land conservation organization, was enlisted to help save the Farm from future development. TPL worked to reassemble key, undeveloped portions of the original Farm and purchased the acreage temporarily until a permanent managing agency could be found.
Established in 1988, to better organize and help implement a long-term protection strategy, the Weir Farm Heritage Trust, a private, nonprofit organization, was established. Its members included the Weir and Young family descendants, elected officials and citizens of Ridgefield, Wilton, and surrounding towns, environmental leaders, artists, and nationally renowned experts in the areas of art history and historic preservation. This organization is known today as the Weir Farm Art Alliance.
In 1988, the state of Connecticut acquired the majority of the land from TPL for $4.25 million and appointed the Weir Farm Heritage Trust as interim manager. The National Park Service conducted a study of the site in 1989-1990, partially funded by the TPL, to evaluate its feasibility and merit for inclusion within the National Park Service. United States Senator Joseph I. Lieberman introduced the enabling legislation into Congress in February 1990 to designate Weir Farm a National Park Service Site. The effort to save Weir Farm gained support of a coalition of more than 20 national conservation and historic preservation organizations in addition to TPL, including the National Parks and Conservation Association, The Nature Conservancy, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and The Wilderness Society, among many others.
After a rigorous twenty-seven-year campaign, on October 31, 1990, President George Bush signed a bill passed by Congress that would establish Weir Farm National Historical Park to preserve and interpret the historically significant properties and landscapes associated with the life and work of J. Alden Weir. The Weir Farm Heritage Trust managed the site until National Park Service staff arrived in January 1992.
Once the preservation was assured, the Weir Farm Heritage Trust assumed its role as the Park's primary private partner through a cooperating agreement with the National Park Service. In partnership with Weir Farm National Historical Park, the Weir Farm Heritage Trust began running the Weir Farm Artist-in-Residence Program in 1998. The Weir Farm Heritage Trust changed its name to Weir Farm Art Center in 2006 in support of fundraising and awareness goals. In 2020, the organization updated its name to Weir Farm Art Alliance.
As of April 1, 2024, the Weir Farm Art Alliance is an independent organization and no longer provides fundraising support for Weir Farm NHP.
In 1969, in an effort to preserve part of the Farm, Weir's daughter Cora Burlingham donated 37 acres of land to the Connecticut Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Resident artists, Doris and Sperry Andrews, initiated petitions and neighborhood rallies and, in 1976, the Committee to Save Weir Pond was formed for the purpose of securing at least enough land to provide a 200-foot border around the "Boston Art Club Pond" that Weir built in 1886.
The Ridgefield Preservation Trust received a grant 1978, from the Connecticut Historical Commission to survey architectural and historical resources, including Weir Farm. The outcome of the research indicated that the Weir Farm complex, not only the Weir Pond, but the farmland, houses, studios and outbuildings constituted a unique site -- a still extant, original painter's environment -- the only completely intact site of an American Impressionist painter.
In 1978, letters from directors and curators of major art institutions began pouring in from around the country to express support for the Farm's inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1983, The Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibited a major retrospective of J. Alden Weir's work which heightened national interest in the Farm. The same year, the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national land conservation organization, was enlisted to help save the Farm from future development. TPL worked to reassemble key, undeveloped portions of the original Farm and purchased the acreage temporarily until a permanent managing agency could be found.
Established in 1988, to better organize and help implement a long-term protection strategy, the Weir Farm Heritage Trust, a private, nonprofit organization, was established. Its members included the Weir and Young family descendants, elected officials and citizens of Ridgefield, Wilton, and surrounding towns, environmental leaders, artists, and nationally renowned experts in the areas of art history and historic preservation. This organization is known today as the Weir Farm Art Alliance.
In 1988, the state of Connecticut acquired the majority of the land from TPL for $4.25 million and appointed the Weir Farm Heritage Trust as interim manager. The National Park Service conducted a study of the site in 1989-1990, partially funded by the TPL, to evaluate its feasibility and merit for inclusion within the National Park Service. United States Senator Joseph I. Lieberman introduced the enabling legislation into Congress in February 1990 to designate Weir Farm a National Park Service Site. The effort to save Weir Farm gained support of a coalition of more than 20 national conservation and historic preservation organizations in addition to TPL, including the National Parks and Conservation Association, The Nature Conservancy, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and The Wilderness Society, among many others.
After a rigorous twenty-seven-year campaign, on October 31, 1990, President George Bush signed a bill passed by Congress that would establish Weir Farm National Historical Park to preserve and interpret the historically significant properties and landscapes associated with the life and work of J. Alden Weir. The Weir Farm Heritage Trust managed the site until National Park Service staff arrived in January 1992.
Once the preservation was assured, the Weir Farm Heritage Trust assumed its role as the Park's primary private partner through a cooperating agreement with the National Park Service. In partnership with Weir Farm National Historical Park, the Weir Farm Heritage Trust began running the Weir Farm Artist-in-Residence Program in 1998. The Weir Farm Heritage Trust changed its name to Weir Farm Art Center in 2006 in support of fundraising and awareness goals. In 2020, the organization updated its name to Weir Farm Art Alliance.
As of April 1, 2024, the Weir Farm Art Alliance is an independent organization and no longer provides fundraising support for Weir Farm NHP.
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