About the Stewardship Program
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A home is more than a house, as the saying goes. Yet, for many our homes define us and are associated our most important memories. Thus many proud owners of historic homes spend an extensive amount of time and resources to preserve the architectural fabric that makes their house significant and memorable. But what happens to a house when a conscientious owner is no longer around? Will new owners understand the significance of the architectural features? Will they unknowingly make changes that erode the property's historic character? Once altered or removed, the things that make a house important can never be returned to their original state.
For owners concerned about this future, the proven option for long-term preservation is the donation of a preservation easement to a qualified non-profit organization such as Historic New England. A preservation easement is a legal agreement used to protect significant building and landscape features of a historic property and is recorded with local land records. Historic New England has been working with homeowners for more than thirty years to protect historic homes, and has a strong interest in protecting all types and styles of domestic buildings that make up New England's architectural heritage.
Our Stewardship Staff:
Jess Phelps, Team Leader for Historic Preservation
Jess oversees Historic New England’s historic preservation efforts, including the Stewardship Program, Historic Homeowner Program, and general advocacy efforts. Prior to joining Historic New England, he worked as an associate attorney at Faegre & Benson, LLP, and clerked for the Honorable Richard W. Goldberg of the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York. Jess has also been involved with conservation and preservation efforts in his native state of Iowa, and has authored several law review articles on topics in this area. Jess holds a B.S. from Iowa State University, and a J.D. from the Drake University Law School, where he served as Editor in Chief of the Drake Law Review.
Joseph Cornish, Senior Stewardship Manager
Joseph has worked for Historic New England since 1998 and has extensive experience in administering and enforcing the preservation easements that Historic New England holds across New England. In addition, Joe works with owners interested in entering their property into the Stewardship program, drafting easement documents and documenting existing conditions at buildings and sites. He also meets frequently with real estate brokers (as well as prospective buyers) regarding Stewardship properties that are going on the market to explain the scope of each easement.
Joe is a member of the Board of Directors of the New England Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians, a past President of the Belmont Historical Society and a member of the Belmont Historic District Commission in Belmont, Massachusetts. Joe has written articles and lectured frequently on topics related to architectural history, maintaining historic buildings, and Historic New England, and its Stewardship Program. He received his M.A. degree in Preservation Studies from Boston University and his B.A. degree in History and Art History from the College of the Holy Cross.
Caitlin Corkins, Stewardship Manager
Caitlin is a native of Vermont and has a strong appreciation for the architectural and cultural heritage of New England. As a Stewardship Manager she monitors approximately half of Historic New England’s easement properties around New England. Caitlin is also involved in writing articles and giving lectures for Historic New England on a variety of preservation topics.
Caitlin joined Historic New England’s preservation team in January of 2008 as the Historic Preservation Assistant after earning her M.S. in Historic Preservation at the University of Vermont, and a B.A. in History from Knox College. Caitlin is currently a member of the Boston Preservation Alliance’s Young Advisors Board and the University of Vermont’s Historic Preservation Alumni Association Board. Caitlin’s previous experience also includes work as a Collections Assistant at the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont and as an intern for the Bostonian Society. Caitlin has a Certificate in Museum Studies from Tufts University.
