James Merrill House

Last updated

James Merrill House
James Merrill House exterior.jpg
James Merrill House exterior
Location Stonington, CT
Coordinates 41°20′1.32″N71°54′23.88″W / 41.3337000°N 71.9066333°W / 41.3337000; -71.9066333
Built1901 (1901)
Architectural style Victorian Eclectic
NRHP reference No. 13000618
Significant dates
Added to NRHPAugust 28, 2013 [1]
Designated NHLOctober 31, 2016 [2]

The James Merrill House is a 19th-century late-Victorian style house at 107 Water Street in Stonington Borough in southeastern Connecticut, formerly owned by poet James Merrill. Upon his death in 1995, the house was kept by the village as a home for writers and scholars.

Contents

History

If I am host at last
It is of little more than my own past.
May others be at home in it.

—James Merrill, Water Street

The American poet James Merrill and his partner David Jackson moved to the borough of Stonington, Connecticut, in 1954, purchasing a property at 107 Water Street. [3] It had once been a nineteenth-century residential and commercial structure that had first served as a drug store and a residence for the owner's family. Merrill spent summers in Stonington borough until his death in 1995. Village life and the apartment itself inspired some of his most important work, including The Changing Light at Sandover , his book-length epic poem based on Merrill's and Jackson's communications with the spirit world by means of a Ouija board in the turret dining room on the third floor.

After James Merrill's death in 1995, the Stonington Village Improvement Association (SVIA) transformed the Jackson and Merrill apartments into a place for writers to live and work. A group of Stonington residents and friends of Merrill began a program that would make the apartment available, rent-free, to writers and scholars for academic-year residencies. The Merrill apartment still looks much the way Merrill left it at his death – the personally eclectic décor remains as it was three decades ago, and Merrill's books, art, and objects have been professionally conserved. In the years since Merrill's death, over a hundred writers have used this space as a residence and retreat. [4]

Under the year-round James Merrill House Writer-in-Residence program, the house is normally occupied year-round by one writer at a time, for stays of about one month each. Each writer typically gives a public live or live-streamed presentation of new work while in residence.

The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 28, 2013 [1] and designated a National Historic Landmark on October 31, 2016. [2]

James Merrill House Writers in Residence

Historical marker outside James Merrill House Plaque marking the James Merrill House in Stonington Borough, CT.jpg
Historical marker outside James Merrill House
Katie Peterson (September 2025)
David Yezzi (August 2025)
Suji Kwock Kim (July 2025)
João Tordo (June 2025)
Manan Kapoor (April 2025)
Ersi Sotiropoulos (November 2024)
Timothy Donnelly (October 2024)
Will Dowd (September 2024-25, virtual residency)
Tochukwu Okafor (August 2024)
Cindy Juyoung Ok (June 2024, YYP)
Judith Dupré (April 2024)
Lisa Ko (February 2024)
Adrienne Raphel (December 2023)
Paul Maddern (November 2023)
Angie Estes (October 2023)
Maureen McLane (August 2023)
John Liles (June 2023, YYP 2024)
Rob Schlegel (April 2023)
Pemi Aguda (February 2023)
Lauren Sandler (January 2023)
Eduardo Corral (invited September 2022)
Christopher Spaide (November 2022)
Laura Kolbe (October 2022)
Robert Wood Lynn (June 2022, YYP 2021)
Mehdi Tavana Okasi (April 2022)
Kamran Javadizadeh (February 2022)
John Cotter (January 2022)
Michael Collier (November 2021)
Marlon James (October 2021)
Henri Cole (September 2021)
Armen Davoudian (July 2021)
Desiree C. Bailey (June 2021, YYP 2020)
Greg Wrenn (April 2021)
Kirstin Valdez Quade (February 2021)
Nicholas Boggs (December 2020)
Jennifer Grotz (November 2020)
Ryan Chapman (October 2020)
Walt Hunter (September 2020)
Talvikki Ansel (August 2020, YYP 1996)
Claire Luchette (July 2020)
Jill Osier (invited June 2020, YYP 2019)
Keith Wilson (March-May 2020)
Lysley Tenario (February 2020)
Matthew Minicucci (December 2019)
Gabriella Gage (August 2019)
Yanyi (June 2019, YYP 2018)
James Longenbach (Spring 2019)
Joanna Scott (Spring 2019)
Sigrid Nunez (December 2018)
Jordan Jacks (November 2018)
Christa Romanosky (September 2018)
Duy Doan (June 2018, YYP 2017)
Suzanne Rivecca (Spring 2018)
Mike Alberti (December 2017)
Maxim Loskutoff (November 2017)
D.M. (Damilola) Aderibigbe (October 2017)
Dan Chiasson (September 2017)
Walter Perrie (August 2017)
Airea Dee Matthews (June 2017, YYP 2016)
Mark Wunderlich (Spring 2017)
Caoilinn Hughes (December 2016)
Jennifer Clarvoe (November 2016)
Catherine Pond (October 2016)
Nate Klug (September 2016)
Lorrie Moore (Invited Summer Fellow, July 2016)
Noah Warren (June 2016, YYP 2015)
Adam Giannelli (Spring 2016)
Geri Doran (December 2015)
Terese Svoboda (November 2015)
Julia Glass (October 2015)
Susan Steinberg (September 2015)
Kay Ryan (Invited Summer Fellow, July 2015)
Ansel Elkins (June 2015, YYP 2014)
Moira Egan (Spring 2015)
Damiano Abeni (Spring 2015)
Kathleen Winter (December 2014)
Adam Wilson (November 2014)
Anna Noyes (November 2014)
Ahimsa Timoteo Bodhran (October 2014)
Molly Anders (September 2014)
Eryn Green [5] (June 2014, YYP 2013)
Peter Kline (January 2014)
Brittany Perham (December 2013)
Mieke Eerkens (November 2013)
Amy Beeder (October 2013)
Caitlin Doyle (September 2013)
Dan O'Brien (June 2013)
James Reidel (2013 Spring)
Sally Ball (December 2012)
Gimbiya Kettering (November 2012)
Amy Greacen (October 2012)
Lydia Conklin (September 2012)
Peter Filkins (2012 Spring)
Will Schutt (2011 Fall)
Jedediah Berry (2011 Spring)
Josh Weil (2010 Fall)
Bruce Snider (2010 Spring)
Cate Marvin (2009 Fall)
Ivy Pochoda (2009 Spring)
Piotr Gwiazda (2008 Fall)
Langdon Hammer (2008 Spring)
Nancy Reisman (2007 Fall)
Rick Hilles (2007 Fall)
Anna Potter / Jacob Gamage (2007 Spring)
Michael Snediker (2006 Fall)
Jason Zuzga (2005–2006)
J.S. Marcus (2004–2005)
Michael Tyrell (2003-2004)
Matthew Zapruder (2003 Spring)
Paul Merrill (2002 Fall)
Sarah Gorham (2002 Spring)
Jeffrey Skinner (2002 Spring)
Molly McQuade (2001 Fall)
Brigit Pegeen Kelly (2000–2001)
Michael Madonick (2000–2001)
Aidan Wasley (1999–2000)
Ted Deppe (1998–1999)
Annie Deppe (1998–1999)
Daniel Hall (1997–1998)
Scott Westrem (1996–1997)
Peter Hawkins (1995–1996)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut</span> U.S. state

Connecticut is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capital is Hartford, and its most populous city is Bridgeport. Connecticut lies between the major hubs of New York City and Boston along the Northeast Corridor. The New York metropolitan area, which includes six of Connecticut's seven largest cities, extends well into the southwestern part of the state, while the northeastern corner reaches Greater Boston. Connecticut is the third-smallest state by area after Rhode Island and Delaware, and the 29th most populous with slightly more than 3.6 million residents as of 2020, ranking it fourth among the most densely populated U.S. states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conference USA</span> US college sports conference

Conference USA (CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose member institutions are primarily located within the Southern United States and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Township, Union County, New Jersey</span> Township in Union County, New Jersey, US

Union Township is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In the 18th century, the area that is now Union was then called Connecticut Farms. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 59,728, an increase of 3,086 (+5.4%) from the 2010 census count of 56,642, which in turn reflected an increase of 2,237 (+4.1%) from the 54,405 counted in the 2000 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Connecticut</span> Public university in Connecticut, U.S.

The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, the school became a public land grant college, then took its current name in 1939. Over the following decade, social work, nursing, and graduate programs were established. During the 1960s, UConn Health was established for new medical and dental schools. UConn is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wesleyan University</span> Private liberal arts college in Middletown, Connecticut, US

Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a men's college under the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown. It is currently a secular institution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vassar College</span> Private college in Poughkeepsie, New York, US

Vassar College is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college became coeducational in 1969. The college offers BA degrees in more than fifty majors. Vassar College's varsity sports teams, known as the Brewers, play in the NCAA's Division III as members of the Liberty League. Currently, there are close to 2,500 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut College</span> College in New London, Connecticut, US

Connecticut College (Conn) is a private liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. Originally chartered as Thames College, it was founded in 1911 as the state's only women's college, a response to Wesleyan University having closed its doors to female students in 1909. The college became coeducational in 1969, adopting its current name.

The Heritage Foundation, sometimes referred to simply as "Heritage", is a U.S. conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, whose policies were taken from Heritage Foundation studies, including its Mandate for Leadership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Merrill</span> American poet

James Ingram Merrill was an American poet. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1977 for Divine Comedies. His poetry falls into two distinct bodies of work: the polished and formalist lyric poetry of his early career, and the epic narrative of occult communication with spirits and angels, titled The Changing Light at Sandover, which dominated his later career. Although most of his published work was poetry, he also wrote essays, fiction, and plays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonington, Connecticut</span> Town in Connecticut, United States

Stonington is a town located in New London County, Connecticut. The municipal limits of the town include the borough of Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Lords Point, and Wequetequock, and the eastern halves of the villages of Mystic and Old Mystic. Stonington is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population of the town was 18,335 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Methodist University</span> Private university in Dallas, Texas, US

Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a private research university in University Park, Texas, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South—now part of the United Methodist Church—in partnership with Dallas civic leaders. However, it is nonsectarian in its teaching and enrolls students of all religious affiliations. It is classified among "R-2: Doctoral Universities – High Research Activity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Working Families Party</span> Political party in the United States

The Working Families Party (WFP) is a progressive minor political party in the United States, founded in New York in 1998. There are active chapters in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Noyes Jackson</span>

David Noyes Jackson was the life partner of poet James Merrill (1926–1995).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Maryland, College Park</span> Public university in College Park, Maryland, US

The University of Maryland, College Park is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland.

Dan O’Brien is an American playwright, poet, memoirist, essayist, and librettist. His most prominent works have been the play The Body of an American and the poetry collection War Reporter. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for 2015–16. His play The House in Scarsdale: A Memoir for the Stage was the winner of the 2018 PEN America Award for Drama.

Theodore "Ted" Deppe is an American poet and professor, author of books of poetry. His most well-known collection is Orpheus on the Red Line, and he has had his poems published in many literary journals and magazines including The Kenyon Review, Harper’s Magazine, Poetry, The Southern Review, Ploughshares, and Poetry Ireland Review. He was the Director of the Stonecoast MFA Program in Creative Writing’s Stonecoast in Ireland program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atomic Monster</span> American film and television production company

Atomic Monster is an American film and television production company, founded in 2014 by James Wan. The company produced The Conjuring Universe, Lights Out, Mortal Kombat, Malignant and M3GAN.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register of Historic Places Program: Weekly List". National Park Service. September 6, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Secretary Jewell, Director Jarvis Announce 10 New National Historic Landmarks Illustrating America's Diverse History, Culture". Department of the Interior. November 2, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  3. James Merrill: Selected Poems, J. D. McClatchy and Stephen Yenser, editors. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. "Short Chronology," pp. 289–294.
  4. Stonington Village Improvement Association. "James Merrill House: History". Archived from the original on November 20, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  5. "Eryn Green Wins Yale Younger Poets Prize". Poets & Writers. March 13, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2014.