National Trust Interim President and CEO Jay Clemens and Oatlands Board Chairman Robert M. Allen said in a joint interview with The Washington Post on Tuesday that they hope to reach an agreement by the end of the year. He said he was looking forward to it. Both expressed satisfaction with the new arrangement and the direction Oatlands is heading.
“I’m pleased to be on a collaborative path now as we look to the future,” Allen said.
Clemens agreed, saying: So I think we can end this year in a really good place. ”
The conciliatory terms are a complete release from the bitterness that separated the companies nine months ago when Autoland sued the National Trust for approximately $3.7 million in damages. is. Oatlands had argued that the trust had unfairly reduced payments from its endowment by preventing it from developing opportunities to earn Virginia tax credits through conservation easements.
The 400-acre property in Loudoun County is owned by the National Trust, but until now it has been operated as a joint partnership, or custodian, between the National Trust and Oatlands, Inc., a private nonprofit organization. The trust has similar co-management agreements with about a dozen other historic properties.
Oatlands, in partnership with the National Trust, was tasked with maintaining the 220-year-old property as a national historic site and telling its story.
Started by George Carter in 1804, Oatlands grew into a huge wheat plantation that relied on the labor of enslaved people for its operation. The Oatlands parcel was sold after the Civil War and the remainder was purchased by William Eustis in his 1903 year. His grandfather, William Wilson Corcoran, was a co-founder of Riggs Bank in Washington.
The clock remained in the Eustice family until 1965, when its heirs donated it to the National Trust, along with an endowment to cover its upkeep.
In addition to sharing the property’s history, Oatlands was also responsible for its upkeep, including managing its centerpiece, the impressive mansion. Making the house and grounds accessible to the public was also part of Oatland’s mandate from the National Trust.
The relationship between the two organizations has been strong for decades, but Autolands, led by then-CEO Caleb Schutz, is looking to develop revenue-generating opportunities and access to Autolands’ $7.8 million. This has worsened over the past few years as many have sought more freedom from trusts. An endowment also owned by the Trust.
“Ideally, all the assets they have would be transferred to Oatlands and we would be independent,” Schutz told The Washington Post this year. “Because then we can stand on our own forever with all these components. That would be easy. And we can leave Autoland as it is.”
Schutz and the Oatlands board stated at the time: Significant restoration work, including installing a new roof and restoring the property’s parapet, could not be carried out because the Trust’s requirements for historic preservation were too high.
Oatlands filed a 125-page lawsuit against the National Trust in March, alleging that the trust had breached its contract and “squeezed the resources available to Oatlands.” It also accused the National Trust of vetoing the restoration proposal, undermining fundraising efforts and preventing Oatlands from entering into a conservation easement that would give it tax benefits.
Oatlands said it had to “deplete its reserves to provide necessary maintenance to the property, which brought Oatlands to the brink of bankruptcy.”
The National Trust disagreed. In a statement posted on its website in response to the lawsuit, the company said it has provided Oatlands with “substantial funding over many years, including regular income from dedicated real estate endowments, to repay Oatlands’ substantial debt.” I have done so,” he said. Establish funds designated for assets and reserves for maintenance and preservation. ”
“We urge Oatlands to work with us, not as a litigant, but as a partner, in the interests of this remarkable historic property,” the statement continued.
As the legal battle unfolds in court, efforts to reach an agreement begin to take place behind the scenes. On November 9, three days after Oatlands’ lawsuit was dismissed on the merits by a federal judge, the organizations issued a statement saying that for the past two months they had “worked cooperatively and mutually agreeably on the transition.” Stated. About the management of the Oatlands Historians and Gardens, a historic site. ”
Allen said Schutz, who led the effort to file a lawsuit against the trust, is no longer employed by Autoland because his position was dissolved when the trust took over. Some former staffers criticized Mr. Schutz for eliminating full-time employee positions at Autoland and outsourcing tasks such as grounds management and event planning. Schutz did not respond to requests for comment.
Clemens and Allen said the new arrangement will not affect the public’s Autoland experience and that scheduled programs, events and rentals will be honored. It also said that as of November 6, most of Autoland’s employees were now National Trust employees.
Preparations are underway for major roof repairs and other major maintenance work at Oatlands House, and both men said they expected work to begin on these projects in the spring.
The National Trust will work to ensure Oatlands remains a “really vibrant and important part” of Loudoun County, Clemens said. “Our goal is to provide a seamless transition, maintain a true community focus, continue to build our programs, and ensure our properties are well maintained and economically sustainable in the long term. It’s what you do.”