What Poe Cottage Is
Edgar Allan Poe Cottage stands at 2640 Grand Concourse in Poe Park, in the Bronx. Built circa 1810–1830, it became home to Poe, his wife Virginia and his mother-in-law, Maria Clemm, in spring 1846. Poe rented the cottage for $100 per year.
Virginia died there in 1847. After Poe died in Baltimore on October 7, 1849, Clemm moved out. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation owns the cottage; The Bronx County Historical Society operates it with support from the Historic House Trust.
The Historical Society has administered it as a historic house museum since 1975. The cottage is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a New York City and State landmark.
Its history also includes a move: in 1913, the cottage was relocated about 450 feet north of its original site after the New York Shakespeare Society raised funds to save it from demolition.
Opening Days and Admission
Regular published hours are Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., and Sunday, 1:00–5:00 p.m. Weekday visits are available by appointment; contact the cottage at poe@poecottage.org to arrange one.
Suggested admission donations are $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors. No one is turned away, and Bronx County Historical Society members enter free.
New York Public Library, Queens Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library cardholders can also receive free admission through Culture Pass NYC. You can book in advance or get a walk-up admission ticket on arrival.
Private tours outside regular hours can be arranged by email. Suggested donations for those tours are $25 for adults and $12 for children. Before setting out, check the official site before you go for current hours, admission details and booking information.
Getting to Poe Cottage
For subway access, the cottage’s directions point to the D train’s Kingsbridge Road stop, with Poe Park just outside the station. If you take the 4 train to Kingsbridge Road, walk east to Grand Concourse and cross the boulevard.
Local bus routes serving the museum include Bx1, Bx2, Bx9, Bx22, Bx28 and Bx34; the BxM4 express bus also serves the area. Parking nearby is limited, so public transportation or a car service can be a more practical choice. If you’re staying at Sheridan Hotel, Poe Cottage can be one stop on a Bronx outing.
What to See at the Cottage
Inside, restored rooms are furnished to reflect Poe’s residency in the 1840s. Look for a desk, a rope bed and a wicker rocking chair thought to have belonged to the family.
A permanent exhibit covers Poe’s life and literary work during his time at the cottage, from 1846 to 1849. The site says he wrote “Annabel Lee,” “The Bells,” “Ulalume” and “El Dorado” during those years. The cottage offers a compact way to connect the rooms and objects with the writing associated with this period of Poe’s life.
Poe Park and Nearby Stops
Step outside into Poe Park, which surrounds the cottage. The park’s visitor center, designed by Toshiko Mori and constructed in 2006, hosts community events, workshops, exhibitions and open activity hours.
For a broader Bronx day, the New York City Parks area guide also identifies Fordham University and the New York Botanical Garden as nearby destinations.
You could make the cottage one stop in a day that includes the Bronx Zoo visitor guide or a separate visit to Crotona Park; the available details here don’t establish travel times between these places, so plan those connections separately.