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Monte Cristo Cottage (also known as Eugene O'Neill Summer House) was the summer home of American actor James O'Neill and his family, notably his son
Monte Cristo Cottage
- official site at the O'Neill Theater {{authority control Houses completed in 1888 National Historic Landmarks in Connecticut Museums in New London County, Connecticut Historic house museums in Connecticut Biographical museums in Connecticut Houses in New London, Connecticut Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Literary museums in the United States Tourist attractions in New London, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earli ...
. It is a National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
located at 325 Pequot Avenue in New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...
.
History
James O'Neill came toNew London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...
in June 1884 and purchased two plots of land on Pequot Avenue for his wife Ella's 27th birthday.Black, Stephen A. ''Eugene O'Neill: Beyond Mourning and Tragedy''. Yale University Press, 1999: 28. The property included a cottage built in the 1840s which he expanded. It is now a two-story house, three bays wide with a porch that wraps around the front to the north side. A tower with pyramidal roof stands just beyond the porch on the north side. It was the principal family residence during Eugene O'Neill's childhood.
As a child, Eugene spent much of the year traveling with his actor father touring from city to city, but the family returned to this cottage each summer. It was named for the play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
in which his father starred in touring productions for many years. O'Neill probably wrote his first two plays here, and it is the setting of his plays ''Ah, Wilderness!
''Ah, Wilderness!'' is a comedy by American playwright Eugene O'Neill that premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on October 2, 1933. It differs from a typical O'Neill play in its happy ending for the central character, and depiction of a ...
'' and '' Long Day's Journey into Night''..
Recent history
The house was declared aNational Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
in 1971 for its association with O'Neill. The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theater company founded in 1964 by George C. White. It is commonly referred to as The O'Neill. The center has received two Tony Awards, the 1979 Special A ...
purchased it in 1976Schmidt, Shannon McKenna and Joni Rendon. ''Novel Destinations: Literary Landmarks from Jane Austen's Bath to Ernest Heminway's Key West''. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2008: 13. and operates it as a historic house museum, furnished to appear as it might have for the setting of ''Long Day's Journey into Night''. The house also features exhibits about O'Neill's life and works, as well as artifacts and memorabilia, including the desk which he used to write his drama ''Anna Christie
''Anna Christie'' is a play in four acts by Eugene O'Neill. It made its Broadway debut at the Vanderbilt Theatre on November 2, 1921. O'Neill received the 1922 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for this work. According to historian Paul Avrich, the ...
'' which won him the Pulitzer Prize.
See also
*List of National Historic Landmarks in Connecticut
This article describes National Historic Landmarks in the United States state of Connecticut. These include the most highly recognized historic sites in Connecticut that are officially designated and/or funded and operated by the U.S. Federal G ...
*National Register of Historic Places listings in New London County, Connecticut
__NOTOC__
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in New London County, Connecticut.
This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New London C ...
References
External links
Monte Cristo Cottage
- official site at the O'Neill Theater {{authority control Houses completed in 1888 National Historic Landmarks in Connecticut Museums in New London County, Connecticut Historic house museums in Connecticut Biographical museums in Connecticut Houses in New London, Connecticut Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Literary museums in the United States Tourist attractions in New London, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut