Asheville residents invited to review design concepts for Thomas Wolfe Cabin site

Posted on by Web Editors - CAPE
Thomas Wolfe Cabin
In a July 1927 letter to a friend, Thomas Wolfe noted that is Oteen cabin was so near Asheville’s Recreation Park that he could occasionally faintly hear the park’s merry-go-round and a the whistle of a distant train.

Everyone is invited to join the City of Asheville and a design planning team to provide feedback on the vision for the Thomas Wolfe Cabin site in Oteen. The planning team has prepared two design concepts based on a site reconnaissance study and initial community input received this past spring. Now the City is ready to share those concepts with the community for additional feedback prior to finalizing the master plan.

The Lord Aeck Sargent design team will present their findings and design concepts at two public meetings in early August. Following the presentation, the public will have the opportunity to share their thoughts relative to the design concepts.

Come review the design concepts at either of these two drop-in sessions:

  • 2 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 1, Recreation Park Conference Room, 72 Gashes Creek Road (across from the WNC Nature Center).
  • 5:30 to 7 p.m. Aug. 1, Thomas Wolfe Memorial, 52 N. Market St.

About the Thomas Wolfe Cabin master planning process

In the summer of 1937, famous Asheville author Thomas Wolfe lived and worked in a cabin off of Azalea Road near Azalea Park. The City now owns the property and has stabilized it from further deterioration and will begin a master planning process for the cabin and surrounding property.

The master planning process is being undertaken as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the cabin, to allow time for the city to explore ideas for an adaptive reuse program consistent with the site’s history.

This is a master planning process only — no money has been set aside for site development.

One goal of the project is to rehabilitate the cabin and consider additional uses for the surrounding property that could make it a destination for residents and tourists. There will also be an assessment of the connectivity from the site to surrounding destinations, trails and the planned Swannanoa River Greenway. The master plan will also include recommendations for the rebuilding of a treehouse present on the site during Thomas Wolfe’s stay in the cabin.

For more details, visit this informational webpage.

Famous Asheville author Thomas Wolfe, writing at his cabin.
Famous Asheville author Thomas Wolfe, writing at his cabin.