The organization of the Kimball Jenkins historic property and art school in Concord has changed in a move sought by organizers to help the institution deal with its finances.
The Merrimack County Probate Court has issued an order directing that the assets of the Carolyn L. Jenkins Charitable Trust be distributed to Kimball Jenkins, a nonprofit corporation that will run the art school and historic estate at 264-266 N. Main St.
The move was requested by the board of the Trust, which was set up when Carolyn Jenkins, the last heir of the line that built the estate, died in 1981, to be used for cultural and educational purposes including the “encouragement of art.”
Jenkins’s trust fund had been used up in operations – the estate has an annual operating budget of about a quarter-million dollars – and having it operate under the trust was proving clumsy. In particular, as a nonprofit instead of a trust the institute will be able to apply for more grants and other aid. It is common for cultural nonprofits that own buildings, such as the Franklin Pierce home, to operate as nonprofits.
Kimball Jenkins Estate consists of several historic buildings, including the main home known as the Mansion, on more than four acres at the intersection of North Main Street and Route 202. It is probably best known now for its School of Art, which teaches more than 1,300 students every year, as well as an annual art camp. It also has studios and display spaces for visual art.
In December, the state’s LCHIP program awarded Kimball Jenkins Estate $200,000 to pay for half of much-needed repairs to the roof of the 19th-century home. The estate must raise the rest of the money itself.
