Friday, August 15, 2008

Once Upon a Midnight Dreary...

For all you Romantic Movement and macabre lit fans, the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, located at Kingsbridge Road and The Grand Concourse is slated to get a $250,000 renovation, thanks to combined efforts and financial support from the Federal and City government as well as the Bronx Historical Society. Annabel Lee, Eldorado, The Bells and Eureka were written during the poet’s three year stay here, from 1846 to 1849. Rumor has it that the poem the Bells was written about the bells resounding from nearby Fordham University (then St. John's College). While you're in the neighborhood you should stop by Lehman College's Art Gallery, one of New York's most under-rated.


Also in the works is a $3.2 million, 2,000-square-foot visitor center, the design of which is inspired by Poe’s most famous poem, The Raven. The project is expected to draw in even more tourists to our once under appreciated borough. 6,000 more tourists per year are expected to visit the Bronx due to this project, says Kathleen McCauley, manager of Poe Cottage. More good news for the Bronx!

Getting There: Take the 4 to Kingsbridge Rd or the B/D to Kingsbridge.

~Simone Davis

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I was but a tiny child w a tattered book of poems who sat upon the shabby stairs and read the most wondrous words in the poet's own space. I imagined his life there, and was inspired by his spirit to write what I felt and loved. I cannot think of a finer classroom than the little cottage in the park.