Poe Fans Restore Bronx Cottage"For Evermore"

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http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/141548/poe-fans-restore-bronx-cottage--for-evermore-

Some diehard Edgar Allen Poe fans are helping to preserve the former Bronx home of the famed and mysterious poet.

 

People from around the country submitted drawings, paintings and their own "Poe-esque" poems for the chance to visit Poe's cottage in Fordham and help complete its restoration.

 

"We wanted something that was inspired by Poe, absolutely anything: Dance, art, prose, poetry," said Historic House Trust of NYC Executive Director Frank Vagnone.

 

 

Photo courtesy Helene Delillo Photography http://www.helenedelillo.com/

Contest winners on Thursday helped plaster the walls of the cottage, located on the Grand Concourse at Kingsbridge Road.

 

Their winning submissions were also put inside a time capsule placed within the home's walls.

 

"I've always had a really deep connection with Edgar Allen Poe's work, and it's always inspired me in my horror artwork and my professional stuff so being able to come here and show this and have it connect to Poe directly is just amazing, its a huge honor," said contest winner Wes Huffor.

 

"It's wonderful because in preservation there is often a disconnect between the public and what we really do, people in the preservation field, and so this gives them an opportunity to really see what a restoration entails," said Senior Architectural Conservator Jonathan Mellon.

 

Photo courtesy Helene Delillo Photography http://www.helenedelillo.com/

Poe lived in the Bronx from 1846 to 1849.

 

Photo courtesy Helene Delillo Photography http://www.helenedelillo.com/

The 19th century farmhouse was his last home, and where he wrote his famous work "Annabel Lee."

 

The city Parks Department began the $483,000 restoration last year in conjunction with the Historic House Trust of New York City.

 

 

The project is scheduled to be completed this summer.

 

A new visitor's center is already complete, but an opening date has not been announced.

 

For more information, visit www.bronxhistoricalsociety.org/poecottage.