Fairfield, CT – After more than 25 years overseeing community events at Burr Mansion, the Fairfield Museum will transfer management of the historic, Town-owned Burr Mansion to Fairfield’s Parks and Recreation Department beginning May 1, 2022. Burr Manager Allison Burress will stay on to ensure a smooth transition.
Rebuilt in 1790 by Thaddeus and Eunice Burr following the Revolutionary War’s burning of Fairfield, Burr Mansion has long been a cultural and social center of Fairfield. In the years leading up to the American Revolution, Burr Mansion hosted George Washington, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams and Aaron Burr. John Hancock and Dorothy Quincy were married there in 1775. Burr Mansion remains one of Fairfield’s most important historic buildings.
In more recent years, the Fairfield Museum has helped make that beautiful and unique historic property available to Fairfield residents to celebrate their most cherished life events, including weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries. Under the Museum’s management, Burr Mansion has also helped support dozens of community fundraisers, including the annual Christmas Tree Festival, Santa’s House, and Enchanted Castle that have been enjoyed by thousands of Fairfield residents, and which have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities.
The Fairfield Museum’s management of events at Burr Mansion has been part of public-private partnership with the Town that has successfully guided the restoration and ongoing preservation of Fairfield’s most important historic properties. Over the last decade, the Fairfield Museum has obtained more than $1 million in grant funding to support the restoration of Burr Mansion that has complimented the Town’s investments. Those preservation efforts have brought Fairfield state-wide recognition through several prominent awards, including a Connecticut Preservation Award from Preservation CT.
“The Fairfield Museum has been proud to lead the preservation and stewardship of Burr Mansion for more than 25 years,” said the Museum’s Executive Director Michael Jehle. “Fairfield Parks and Recreation does an excellent job managing the Town’s other event facilities, and they have the skills and resources to lead the future public use of that facility. The Fairfield Museum looks forward to continuing our close partnership with the Town to expand the public’s enjoyment of Fairfield’s other extraordinary historic properties.”