Thurber House faces an "uncertain" future
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The home of James Thurber, now a historic landmark, sits downtown at 77 Jefferson Ave. Photo: Andrew King/Axios
As Columbus's Thurber House celebrates its 40th anniversary, the literary nonprofit is in danger of closing its doors due to a lack of funding and its leaders are asking for the community's support.
Why it matters: Thurber House offers space and resources for young writers, organizing literature-related events for the community, but could face closure without meeting a $200,000 fundraising goal.
Driving the news: Late last month, Thurber House announced it was "facing uncertainty," and launched a fundraising campaign.
Threat level: Visitors and ticket sales, which the house relies on for funding, have yet to rebound to pre-pandemic numbers.
- The nonprofit has had to lay off staff, whittling down to a "skeleton crew" of four.
Flashback: Thurber House was the home of humorist James Thurber, a prolific early 20th century author, journalist and playwright who lived there from 1913-17 while studying at OSU.
- Originally built in 1873, the house was used as a music school, beauty shop and boarding house before eventually falling into disrepair and undergoing a substantial renovation in the 1970s.
- The house is on the National Register of Historic Places, and still stands downtown at 77 Jefferson Ave.
State of play: Today, Thurber House calls itself "Columbus's literary arts hub." It hosts programs and youth camps, organizes writing workshops and awards the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
- In addition to community work, the nonprofit has hosted events with the likes of Henry Winkler, Mo Rocca and prominent Columbus author and poet Hanif Abdurraqib.
What's next: With enough fundraising help, Thurber House plans an expanded lineup of programs and community outreach, including increased writing camp capacity, the launch of an "adult writers' studio" and a greater presence in K-12 schools, libraries and senior living communities.
The latest: The funding drive had raised around $42,000 as of Sunday, about 20% of its goal.
- An update to the drive thanked the community for an "incredible outpouring of support and love," and said the fundraiser "will continue as our team works tirelessly to bring Thurber House back to financial stability."