---

The historic Stephen Crane House, located at 508 Fourth Avenue, has been officially added to the National Register of Historic Places.

“This is another big step in the right direction to preserve this historic building,” said Asbury Park Historical Society [APHS] Don Stine.

The Society was notified by the state Office of Historic Preservation of its ranking by the National Register, one of the nation’s official list of cultural resources significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering and other similar categories, Stine said.

The Stephen Crane House was placed on the State Register of Historic Places on February 16, 2015 and the historical society expects to take ownership of the house in the very near future, Stine said.

“This is one heck of an accomplishment done solely by the Historical Society,” Mayor John Moor said. “This took over three years. They had to a great amount of research. They had to drive to Syracuse, [NY] and North Carolina. They had to gather and present the facts on a house that is over 150 years old. They should be well honored and appreciated.”

Crane, took up residence here after his mother purchased the cottage during the summer of 1883, according to news release from Senator Jennifer Beck’s office. He was a student of Asbury Park High School before attending boarding schools. He return every summer through 1892 to write for his brother Jonathan Townley’s news service while penning the fiction that would become his first published stories.

Possibly most known for his Civil War novel “The Red Badge of Courage,” Crane began writing at the age of four and was a published author by age 16.

“It’s truly notable that Asbury Park has another location added to the National Register of Historical Places,” Beck [R-Monmouth] said. “The home is the oldest residential structure in Asbury Park and the only surviving building in the United States associated with Stephen Crane. This was a long process, but gratifying to see the hard work that the Asbury Park Historical Society put in to preserving and restoring the building be rewarded with placement in the National Register of Historic Places.”

In 2006, Bruce Springsteen donated $25,000 to the Stephen Crane House from the proceeds of his “Seeger Sessions Band Tour” concerts in Asbury Park. The funding was used to repair the roof and do other maintenance projects, Beck said. Since the Stephen Crane House is privately owned, it is not currently eligible to receive public or private grant money, and the Springsteen contribution remains the largest private contribution to date.

For more information about the building and the restoration efforts, visit www.aphistoricalsociety.org.

—————————————————–

Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

---