What Is the H.P.Lovecraft House?
This was the final home of horror writer, Howard Phillips Lovecraft!
What Makes It Historical?
H.P. Lovecraft grew up in a nest of madness! When he was three, his dad was institutionalized for doing and saying strange things. When he was 29, his mom was also institutionalized, claiming to see “weird and fantastic creatures!” All the while, the young writer was exploring his nightmares in writing, but it took him a while to get to intergalactic monsters. In fact, his first “monsters” were immigrants and Black folks, as seen in his first published poem, Providence in 2000 AD, which predicts a dystopian city taken over by Irish, Italian, Portuguese, and Jewish immigrants.
Yet, out of Mr. Lovecraft’s racist, elitist, and xenophobic philosophy rose his most enduring horror: the Cthulhu Mythos! Influenced by the philosophy of cosmicism (humans are insignificant) and the lure of arcane knowledge lost through the decline of Western civilization, he created impossibly ancient and ineffable monsters who could be summoned to Earth whether accidentally or on purpose! These monsters included the octopus-headed Cthulhu, the tentacle-faced Nyarlathotep, and even the great devourer at the center of the universe, Azathoth! Published in pulp publications like Weird Tales, his most famous works include, The Call of Cthulhu, At the Mountains of Madness, The Shadow over Innsmouth, and The Haunter of the Dark, which he wrote here in this house!
Mr. Lovecraft’s writing career spanned only 11 years before he died of intestinal cancer on March 15, 1937 at the age of 46. His work wasn’t recognized during his lifetime, and he struggled financially for most of his life, but you’d probably spot his influence today in the creepy works of Stephen King, Alan Moore, John Carpenter, and Guillermo del Toro! If you spot words like “Arkham,” “Necronomicon,” and “eldrich horror,” you’re probably spotted a reference to his work as well!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer with the Providence Preservation Society!
- Become a member of the Providence Preservation Society!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
65 Prospect St
Providence, RI 02906
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
View the exterior any time you like, but there are no regular tour hours at this historic site!