Easily the single most iconic sight to see when you visit Bangor, Maine – the real life inspiration for Derry, Maine – is Stephen King‘s house, built in 1858 and purchased by King in 1980. King fans have for years been taking pictures in front of the house, hoping to get a glimpse of King (who does sometimes stay there), but soon they’ll be able to step inside!
As reported by Rolling Stone today, Stephen King and Tabitha King recently applied to re-zone the iconic home in the hopes of turning it into a non-profit archive and writers’ retreat, and the Bangor City Council has unanimously approved that request this week!
How it’ll work is that the house will become a King archive for researchers/scholars, with appointments required, and up to five writers at a time will be able to use it as a retreat.
“The King Family has been wonderful to the City of Bangor over time and have donated literally millions of dollars to various causes in the community,” city councilor Ben Sprague told Rolling Stone. “Preserving his legacy here in Bangor is important for this community.”
UPDATE: King himself has taken to Facebook to clarify some important details:
There’s been a lot of recent press — and some misinformation — about what’s going on with the house at 47 West Broadway in Bangor.
We are in the very beginning of planning the writers’ retreat at the house next door, providing housing for up to five writers in residence at a time. The zoning change getting press coverage was the first step. We are 1 to 2 years away from an operating retreat.
The archives formerly held at the University of Maine will be accessible for restricted visits by appointment only. There will not be a museum and nothing will be open to the public, but the archives will be available to researchers and scholars.
In the meantime, no visit to Maine is complete without a tour of “Stephen King’s Derry”!