Thomas Wolfe House facts for kids
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Thomas Wolfe House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in North Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | 52 North Market Street, Asheville, North Carolina |
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| Built | 1883 |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Part of | Downtown Asheville Historic District (ID79001676) |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000572 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 11, 1971 |
| Designated NHL | November 11, 1971 |
| Designated CP | April 26, 1979 |
The Thomas Wolfe House, also known as the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, is a special historic house and museum in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. It's where a famous American writer named Thomas Wolfe (who lived from 1900 to 1938) grew up. This house is very important because of its connection to Wolfe, and it was named a National Historic Landmark in 1971. It's part of the Downtown Asheville Historic District, a historic area in Asheville.
A Home with History
This two-story house was built in 1883. It shows the beautiful Queen Anne style of that time. In 1906, Thomas Wolfe's mother, Julia E. Wolfe, bought the house. It was already a boarding house, a place where people could rent rooms, and was called "Old Kentucky Home."
Julia Wolfe moved into the boarding house with her son, Tom. The rest of their family stayed at their other home. Thomas Wolfe lived at "Old Kentucky Home" until 1916. That's when he left to attend the University of North Carolina. In 1917, his mother made the house even bigger by adding five more rooms.
The House in a Book
Thomas Wolfe used this house as the main setting for his first novel, Look Homeward, Angel. He wrote this book in 1929. In his story, he changed the name of his mother's boarding house to "Dixieland."
He put his own experiences with his family, friends, and the people who stayed at the boarding house into the book. It's like a story based on his real life.
A Memorial and Restoration
After Thomas Wolfe passed away at a young age from tuberculosis, and then his mother died, the house became a special place to remember him. It has been open for visitors to explore since the 1950s.
The state of North Carolina has owned and cared for the house since 1976. It was officially recognized as a National Historic Landmark because of its importance.
In 1998, a fire damaged some parts of the house. About 200 of the 800 original items inside were lost, and the dining room was destroyed. But the house was carefully restored! After a big project that cost $2.4 million, the Thomas Wolfe House reopened in 2003, looking beautiful once more.
