Lease announcement for Somerwell house in Yorktown, Virginia within Colonial National Historical Park.

he National Park Service has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a lease of the Somerwell House on Main Street in Yorktown. The lease will have a term of up to ten years with a target commencement date on or about July 1, 2012. The Somerwell House, 401 Main Street, is a part of the Yorktown Battlefield unit of Colonial National Historical Park and lies within the Central Preservation and Interpretation District of the Village of Yorktown. The purpose of the district is to preserve historic structures and impact a sense of 18th-century Yorktown. Proposals to be considered for the property may include retail shops, a light-food restaurant with an 18th-century character, modest bed and breakfast houses, art galleries and educational museums. The combination of commercial and residential use will be considered, however residential use alone will not be permitted. The Somerwell House was built circa 1707 by Mungo Somerwell, a local ferryman. The house has two stories and a basement and contains 2,042 square feet, plus an outbuilding with an additional 256 square feet. There are two bathrooms and a small kitchen with appliances. The Somerwell House was acquired by the National Park Service in 1931 and most recently housed an art gallery. Interested individuals and organizations are invited to submit a proposal to lease the Somerwell House. For detailed information about the facility, rental rates, submission requirements, and other additional information, please visit: http://www.nps.gov/colo/parkmgmt/index.htm. All proposals under this RFP must be received by 12:00 p.m. on March 9, 2012, in the form and at the address stated in Section 13 of the RFP.