diff --git a/libs/ardour/ardour/directory_names.h b/libs/ardour/ardour/directory_names.h
index 17532e2a3a..db3fc1d533 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/ardour/directory_names.h
+++ b/libs/ardour/ardour/directory_names.h
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@ namespace ARDOUR {
 	LIBARDOUR_API extern const char* const route_templates_dir_name;
 	LIBARDOUR_API extern const char* const surfaces_dir_name;
 	LIBARDOUR_API extern const char* const ladspa_dir_name;
-	LIBARDOUR_API extern const char* const user_config_dir_name;
 	LIBARDOUR_API extern const char* const panner_dir_name;
 	LIBARDOUR_API extern const char* const backend_dir_name;
 
diff --git a/libs/ardour/ardour/filesystem_paths.h b/libs/ardour/ardour/filesystem_paths.h
index a6ca2d1c77..82b84f5424 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/ardour/filesystem_paths.h
+++ b/libs/ardour/ardour/filesystem_paths.h
@@ -27,11 +27,16 @@
 namespace ARDOUR {
 
 	/**
-	 * @return the path to the directory used to store user specific ardour
-	 * configuration files.
+	 * @return the path to the directory used to store user specific 
+	 * configuration files for the given @param version of the program.
+	 * If @param version is negative, the build-time string PROGRAM_VERSION
+	 * will be used to determine the version number.
+	 *
 	 * @post user_config_directory() exists
+	 *
+	 * 
 	 */
-	LIBARDOUR_API std::string user_config_directory ();
+        LIBARDOUR_API std::string user_config_directory (int version = -1);
 
 	/**
 	 * @return the path to the directory used to store user specific
diff --git a/libs/ardour/directory_names.cc b/libs/ardour/directory_names.cc
index 43238ba45a..a5d7bbbe9b 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/directory_names.cc
+++ b/libs/ardour/directory_names.cc
@@ -40,12 +40,4 @@ const char* const ladspa_dir_name = X_("ladspa");
 const char* const panner_dir_name = X_("panners");
 const char* const backend_dir_name = X_("backends");
 
-char config_dir_name[] = X_(PROGRAM_NAME PROGRAM_VERSION);
-#if defined (__APPLE__) || defined (PLATFORM_WINDOWS)
-const char* const user_config_dir_name = config_dir_name;
-#else
-#include "pbd/convert.h"
-const char* const user_config_dir_name = PBD::downcase (config_dir_name);
-#endif
-
 }
diff --git a/libs/ardour/filesystem_paths.cc b/libs/ardour/filesystem_paths.cc
index c0766c066f..c07acb0280 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/filesystem_paths.cc
+++ b/libs/ardour/filesystem_paths.cc
@@ -19,8 +19,9 @@
 #include <cstdlib>
 #include <iostream>
 
-#include "pbd/error.h"
 #include "pbd/compose.h"
+#include "pbd/convert.h"
+#include "pbd/error.h"
 
 #include <glibmm/miscutils.h>
 #include <glibmm/fileutils.h>
@@ -41,8 +42,24 @@ namespace ARDOUR {
 
 using std::string;
 
+static std::string
+user_config_directory_name (int version = -1)
+{
+	if (version < 0) {
+		version = atoi (X_(PROGRAM_VERSION));
+	}
+
+	const string config_dir_name = string_compose ("%1%2", X_(PROGRAM_NAME), version);
+	
+#if defined (__APPLE__) || defined (PLATFORM_WINDOWS)
+	return config_dir_name;
+#else
+	return downcase (config_dir_name);
+#endif
+}	
+
 std::string
-user_config_directory ()
+user_config_directory (int version)
 {
 	static std::string p;
 
@@ -79,7 +96,7 @@ user_config_directory ()
 	}
 #endif // end not __APPLE__
 
-	p = Glib::build_filename (p, user_config_dir_name);
+	p = Glib::build_filename (p, user_config_directory_name (version));
 
 	if (!Glib::file_test (p, Glib::FILE_TEST_EXISTS)) {
 		if (g_mkdir_with_parents (p.c_str(), 0755)) {
@@ -134,7 +151,7 @@ user_cache_directory ()
 	}
 #endif // end not __APPLE__
 
-	p = Glib::build_filename (p, user_config_dir_name);
+	p = Glib::build_filename (p, user_config_directory_name ());
 
 #ifdef PLATFORM_WINDOWS
 	 /* On Windows Glib::get_user_data_dir is the folder to use for local