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The teenage home of famous American author Stephen Crane was officially placed on the New Jersey State Register of Historic Places Dec. 16.

The house, located at 508 Fourth Ave. in the city, is slated to be purchased by the Asbury Park Historical Society in the near future and preserved as a museum dedicated to Crane. The society, along with other city and educational organizations, will also use it as a public meeting place.

“Obtaining this official designation is a huge first step in acquiring a permanent home for the historical society,” society President Don Stine said. “Many members spent a lot of time and effort putting this lengthy application together but, in the end, it has finally paid off.”

The next step is to have the house placed on the National Register of Historic Places, which is awarded by the National Park Service. This process is expected to take a few months.

A power-point presentation about the house, along with the election of four officers, will be shown at the historical society’s annual reorganization meeting on Thursday, Jan. 15 at the Public Library at Second and Grand avenues at 7 p.m.

“I urge everyone to come out, join the society and get involved. You must be a paid member to vote at the reorganization meeting,” Stine said.

The Historical Society started a major $250,000 fundraising campaign to purchase and restore the Crane House, built in 1878. It is probably the oldest house in Asbury Park and is also the home of famous American author Stephen Crane.

Crane [1871- 1900] was a prolific American author who began his literary career in Asbury Park as a teenager. Throughout his short life, Crane wrote notable works in the Realist tradition, as well as early examples of American Naturalism and Expressionism. His writings include “The Red Badge of Courage,” “Maggie: A Girl of the Streets” and many other important pieces of fiction, poetry and essays.

“The good writers are Henry James, Stephen Crane and Mark Twain,” wrote Ernest Hemingway in The Green Hills of Africa in 1935.

The current house owner, Frank D’Alessandro, has offered to sell the house to the Historical Society for $1. The society’s capital campaign will go to the cost of maintaing the home.

“Asbury Park has lost many historic buildings in recent years and now it is time to take a stand and preserve this important piece of Asbury Park history,” Stine said.

Donations to preserve the house can be made by sending a check or money order payable to the Asbury Park Historical Society with “Stephen Crane House” in the memo field to P.O. Box 543, Asbury Park, NJ 07712.

Donations can also be made through Paypal at the historical society’s website: www.APHistoricalSociety.org

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