Work Begins in 2024Centennial Buildings Project
Help us Preserve
"One of the Loveliest Places in the World"
The Austerlitz, New York, home of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, Steepletop will mark the celebration of its centennial in 2025. In preparation for this milestone, The Edna St. Vincent Millay Society at Steepletop is embarking on a Centennial Buildings Project, and is seeking funding for this undertaking.
Each of our historic buildings needs essential structural work. The necessary improvements include: exterior painting of the Millay House, the Tamarack Cottage Visitor Center, and the Ellis Studio; various repairs to, and restoration of, the Millay House interiors and the Ellis Studio exteriors; and drainage improvement in front of the Ellis Studio to prevent flooding in the Carriage House.
The cost of this work will be approximately $175,000. Work is scheduled to begin in Spring 2024.
Planned Work
Millay House (1892)
The Millay House was constructed in 1892 to replace an earlier house destroyed by fire. The two-story white clapboard house has black shutters, a steep gable, and a central chimney. In 1926, Vincent and Eugen removed many of the home’s Victorian details, giving the house its current appearance. They also made changes to the interior of the house; they shifted the entrance of the home to create a Vermont slate foyer and a large withdrawing room, which spans the width of the house. (The house originally included a one-story cow barn on the northern end of the western façade, which was removed by Vincent and Eugen.)
Millay House Project Scope: $69,000
- Exterior carpentry repairs
- Replace lower roof
- Repair/replace shutters
- Prep, seal, and paint exterior
- Interior—Kitchen: refurbish floor; restore kitchen nook upholstery; refurbish original appliances
- Interior—Millay’s Bedroom: plaster work
Ellis Studio Carriage House (1928)
The Carriage House is located on the southern side of East Hill Road directly across from the Millay House. The white clapboard building has five bays along the northern side. Stairways provide access to an upper level, which historically served as a painting studio for Millay’s brother-in-law Charles Ellis. A large skylight in the north-facing side of the gable roof allows natural light into the space. The Ellis Studio currently serves as a residence for Steepletop’s on-site caretaker, and the ground-level garage is used as a Grounds workshop and storage.
Ellis Studio Carriage House Project Scope: $87,000
- Rebuild Carriage House doors
- Replace exterior side-stairway, balcony, and rotted clapboards
- Prep, seal, and paint exterior
- Improve drainage and grading of front parking area
Tamarack Cottage (1830)
Originally used as a guest house or staff quarters in Millay’s time, Tamarack Cottage is a two-storied white shingled farmhouse with a brick chimney, located on the southern side of East Hill Road directly to the north of the Ellis Studio. With help from a generous gift from The Jackson Family in 2014, Tamarack Cottage’s interiors were renovated to become Steepletop’s Visitor Center, including the Jackson Exhibition Gallery, gift shop, and administrative offices.
Tamarack Cottage Visitor Center Project Scope: $18,000
- Prep, seal, and paint exterior
- Refurbish screen porch
How You Can Help
Become a Buildings Project Sponsor. All sponsors will be recognized on the Donor Wall in the Visitors Center with a special commemoration. Opportunities for sponsorship include:
SPONSORSHIP OF AN ENTIRE BUILDING
Tamarack Cottage ($18,000)
Millay House ($69,000)
Ellis Studio ($87,000)
If you are interested in sponsoring an entire building, please email us info@millay.org.
Make general donations towards the project, at a variety of levels:
All donations in any amount towards this project will be greatly appreciated.
The Edna St. Vincent Millay Society is based at the poet’s home at Steepletop, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1972 and a Literary Landmark in 2016. The mission of the Society and the Friends of Millay is to illuminate Millay’s life and writing and to preserve and interpret the character of her Steepletop home and gardens, places where nature inspires the creative spirit.
If you prefer to mail your donation to us, please send your check, made out to The Millay Society, or your credit card details with account number, expiration date and CCV number to: The Millay Society, PO Box 2, Austerlitz, NY 12017