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Renovations allow F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum to display new exhibits about the famous couple


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.