Stephen King's Bangor home to serve as archive, writers' retreat

Great news, Stephen King fans … and aspiring writers! The Victorian mansion in Bangor, Maine, that King and his wife Tabitha have called home for decades has been reorged as a nonprofit and will open its ornate bat-decorated gate to scholars and authors.

The Bangor City Council on Wednesday approved the Kings’ request to rezone their home, per a story from Rolling Stone. Going forward, the red mansion at 47 West Broadway where the Kings raised their three children will serve as an archive of King’s work, while a guest house next door would serve as a writers' retreat. The archive was previously at the Kings’ alma mater, the University of Maine.

But it won’t be a museum — access to the archives would be restricted and by appointment only. Meanwhile, the house next door, which the Kings bought in 2004, would house up to five writers in residence at a time. And, yes, the Kings have cleared all this with the neighbors.

Since the Kings spend more time in Florida or Oxford County, Maine, it makes sense that they’ve sought to rezone and repurpose the property. And it would be absolutely batty to give it up. (Sorry — couldn’t resist.)

“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.”

Bangor planning officer David Gould told New England Cable News that the Kings “did not want the house to become a Dollywood or some kind of tourist attraction.” We're sure the neighbors would agree.

The town of Bangor, in which the mansion resides, served as the inspiration for the fictional town of Derry, which appeared in his novel IT.