In Baltimore this past November, the former home of Edgar Allan Poe, which is now a tourist attraction in the midst of re-establishment after falling into financial disarray and relative unpopularity, was marred by illegible graffiti, and its front steps were stolen. Baltimore city officials have repainted the spray-painted areas and made reassurance that security check-ups of the building are already part of regular procedure. The home is nearly two-hundred years old, and without more proper supervision and care, some fear the building will fall into neglect and disrepair. The building, considered a museum, was closed in early Fall while organizations determined how to re-launch the museum to make it more financially sustainable and more attractive to potential visitors.

“There is this thing that nobody in the city really thought about when they closed the thing down, which is who minds the store? Who’s taking care of this thing during the transition?” said Mark Redfield, board member of Poe Baltimore, the organization which will eventually claim responsibility of the museum once it reopens in 2013.

“If [this] doesn’t look bad on Baltimore, I don’t know what does,” said Redfield. “I just wish there was a plan in place for the transition period, to protect Baltimore’s image on this.”

Source: The Baltimore Su

Link: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-poe-house-vandalism-20121125,0,3536438.story