By Amber Sutton
Fans of F. Scott and Zelda
Fitzgerald now have the opportunity to learn more about the famed author and
his wife thanks to recent renovations at a Montgomery museum dedicated to the
couple.
The F. Scott and Zelda
Fitzgerald Museum, which is located in the only surviving former home of the
transient couple, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating the life
and works of the Fitzgeralds.
While it has been in operation
since 1986, this is the first time the entire downstairs of the residence will
be included as part of the museum. Rooms that once were the Fitzgeralds' great
room, study, kitchen and second sun porch will now serve as part of the museum
and feature an array of new displays and exhibits about their lives.
"For 25 years, this was
basically a two room show," said the museum's curator Willie Thompson.
"Today, we have exhibits in seven rooms and that includes all of the
downstairs of the house. So our square footage has more than doubled, and our
number of exhibits has basically doubled as well."
New exhibits that will now be
featured in the museum include the earliest known series of paper dolls created
by Zelda Fitzgerald, a rotating exhibit of the Esquire magazines featuring
Fitzgerald's last short stories as well as correspondence between Fitzgerald
and his close friend and literary critic Edmund Wilson that has never
previously been on display.
Thompson said the museum also
plans to recreate the 318-book library that Fitzgerald had when he died in
addition to installing a media center with audio/video exhibits about the
Fitzgeralds in early 2016.
"Because we're the only
Fitzgerald museum in the world, we tell the whole story of their lives,"
said Thompson. "We've had items in storage that we couldn't have on
display since we didn't have room for it. These renovations give us the
opportunity to share so much more with visitors."
The F. Scott and Zelda
Fitzgerald Museum is located at 919 Felder Avenue. Its hours are 10 a.m. until
2 p.m. Wednesday through Friday as well as 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday and
Sunday. Donations are asked for admission.