Poe Cottage
Why it's listed
Poe Cottage is a small frame farmhouse of one and a half stories, built about 1812 by John Wheeler in what was then the rural Westchester village of Fordham. Edgar Allan Poe moved there with his dying wife, Virginia, hoping the quiet countryside would help her health. During his residence he wrote some of his finest work, including The Bells, Annabel Lee and Ulalume, and the essay Eureka. The cottage was moved back from the Grand Concourse in 1896 when the road was widened, then relocated in 1913 to its present site in Poe Park after the city bought it. A porch, steps and a brick foundation were added then, and the interior was restored in 1921. Original features include the hand-hewn roof beams, plank floors, staircase and fireplace. It is also one of the few surviving vernacular farm cottages in the Bronx, and the park gives it a setting reminiscent of its rural surroundings. It operates as a house museum.
Significance in brief: The cottage was for a time the home of Edgar Allan Poe, who wrote some of his finest poetry there, including The Bells, Annabel Lee and Ulalume, as well as the essay Eureka. It is also one of the few good surviving examples of an early nineteenth-century farm dwelling in Bronx County. The surrounding park is included for its rural setting.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80002588, listed August 19, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2640 Grand Concourse, New York |
|---|---|
| County | The Bronx |
| Listed | August 19, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002588 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1812 |
| Architect / builder | John Wheeler |
| Architectural style | Vernacular early nineteenth-century frame farmhouse |
| Areas of significance | Literature, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Maintained by the Bronx Historical Society as a historic house museum; owned by the City of New York; basement contains a caretaker's apartment. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Coordinates | 40.86553, -73.89428 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80002588.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q2998596
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.