{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/murphy-blumenthal-himes-bill-to-designate-weir-farm-southwest-connecticuts-first-national-historical-park-heads-to-the-presidents-desk", "Murphy, Blumenthal, Himes Bill To Designate Weir Farm Southwest Connecticuts First National Historical Park Heads To The Presidents DeskRead More", "2020-12-21", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "Christopher Murphy", "M001169", "www.murphy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTONU.S.\r\nSenators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and\r\nU.S. Representative Jim Himes (CT-4) on Monday applauded the news that\r\ntheir legislation to change the Weir Farm designation from Weir Farm National\r\nHistoric Site to Weir Farm National Historical Park is headed to President\r\nTrump's desk. The change will better reflect Weir Farm's size and importance, while\r\nimproving recognition of the site and preserving its cultural landscape. Weir\r\nFarm is only one of two congressionally-approved National Park Service sites in\r\nConnecticut. It is also one of just two sites in the National Park Service\r\ndedicated to visual arts. The legislation passed the U.S. House of\r\nRepresentatives on Thursday and passed the U.S. Senate on Sunday. This\r\nis great news. I wish more people in and around Connecticut knew about Weir\r\nFarm, and designating it as a NationalHistorical Park will help ensure\r\nthat the park can expand all that it has to offer. Since its restoration in\r\n2014, we've witnessed an uptick in visitors and more public programming\r\nunderscoring the importance of preserving art and culture. I'm proud to have\r\nworked with Senator Blumenthal and Congressman Himes to get this across the\r\nfinish line,said Murphy. This\r\nsignificant victory ensures the preservation of Connecticut's cultural\r\nlandscapeand artistic heritage. TheNational Historical Park\r\ndesignation recognizes Weir Farmas more than just home of J. Alden Weir.\r\nThe new designation recognizesthe multiple historical homes, art studios,\r\nand farm buildings that continue to be a destination that inspires generations\r\nof artists. I am proud that Weir Farm will finally receive the designation it\r\ndeserves through the passage of this legislation, and will continue to support\r\nefforts to preserve Connecticut's history. said Blumenthal.  Walking\r\nthrough Weir Farm in any season is a quintessentially Connecticut experience, said\r\nHimes. It's a beautiful, extensive site that gives visitors perspective\r\ninto an important period in American art, as well as a much-needed space to\r\nreconnect with our natural world. While we work on large government\r\nfunding bills and coronavirus relief efforts in Congress, we must never forget\r\nto sustain the arts, protect our natural spaces, and plan for a brighter\r\nfuture. Americans will soon once again travel the country and explore its\r\nNational Parks. Elevating Weir Farm to the status it deserves will help draw\r\nvisitors and share the unique beauty and history of Southwest Connecticut. \"The\r\nFriends of Weir Farm are proud to be part of the initiative, along with the\r\nWeir Farm Art Alliance, and Senators Murphy and Blumenthal, as well as\r\nRepresentative Himes, to propose the re-designation in the U.S. Senate and\r\nHouse of Representatives to Weir Farm National Historical Park. We believe that\r\nthe passage of this bill with itsnew name truly represents the wide range\r\nof cultural, historical and recreational resources that the park offers to the\r\npublic,\" Liz Castagna,\r\nthe Vice President of the Board of Friends of Weir Farms NHS. Weir\r\nFarm's redesignation as a\r\nNational Historical Park will properly reflect\r\nits acreage, number of historic themes and artists, natural and cultural\r\nresources, and the national impact of the Weir Farm site. Weir Farm National\r\nHistoric Site has grown to approximately 75 acres since the original\r\ndesignation in 1990. This expansion has allowed artists and historians to\r\nbetter understand Weir's enduring artistic legacy. The redesignation will\r\nreflect the increased visitation, collaboration with partners, and public\r\nprogramming since the park was restored and reopened in 2014. ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/murphy-blumenthal-himes-bill-to-designate-weir-farm-southwest-connecticuts-first-national-historical-park-heads-to-the-presidents-desk"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.125700004398823, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}