Baltimore Budget Cuts May Compel Edgar Allen Poe House Closure

Baltimore officials recently indicated the budget-strapped city may have to suspend funding of the city's Edgar Allen Poe house (photo). The decision's impact would effectively prevent the public from entering the structure, exploring its slim collection of Poe artifacts, and understanding its role in Poe's life and work. The house itself, included in the National Regsiter of Historic Places and owned by the Baltimore City Housing Authority, would remain intact.

Charm City's Poe house has been something of a tough sell, as it's removed from Baltimore's tourist and literary itinerary. The residence, a period structure in the midst of a grim housing project, diminishes the house's potential allure. Let's face it: most Poe appreciators are more likely to prefer to experience scariness via the printed word rather than at a parking space or bus stop near the author's museum.

Baltimore City's annual support to the Poe museum, according to a New York Times story, equals $85,000. Surely, some collection of funders can be allied to produce a sum less than the annual bonus of the average T. Rowe Price or Legg Mason analyst. (Both financial services firms are based in Baltimore.) Meanwhile, "Gaia," the alias of a Baltimore-based street artist, has donated sale proceeds from 100 limited-edition prints of "'The Raven' (Forevermore), 2011" towards Poe House funding.

More funding is needed, and the push should go far beyond an individual artist's efforts. I do have two suggestions to accomplish this goal. An organization connected to the Poe house or Poe's legacy could set up an online donation page. Contributors could authorize a $9.95 donation to maintaining the Poe house's annual operating costs. That's the typical cost of an e-book. Alternatively, an e-book version of Poe's works, all of which are in the public domain, could be offered by a Poe-related venture for $10.99, with $9.99 going to the Poe house and $1.00 to the e-book provider. In that way, readers honor Poe's legacy and keep his influential works alive for these digital times.