Hemingway Home Sold: Writer's Former Oak Park Residence Bought For $525,000 (Photo)

Hemingway Home Sold (EHFOP)

Ernest Hemingway's home in Oak Park, Illinois has been sold for $525,000.

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park (EHFOP) put the said boyhood home of the writer on the market in February. On Tuesday, it closed a deal with couple Kurt and Mary Jane Neuman who shelled out $525,000 to purchase the house.

The suburban Chicago home is believed to be where Hemingway wrote some of his earliest works.

"It’s a gorgeous home with a rich history, and we are excited about the opportunity to return it to its former glory," said Mary Jane.

The couple said  they plan to restore the building that has been divided into three apartments to a single-family home.

The foundation, which owned the home since 2001, had earlier planned to turned it into a cultural center and scholarly retreat. However, because of economic pressures they sold it instead.

The new owners said fans of the novelist are still welcome to visit their home.

"We don't want anyone to feel like we're going to shutter it up or minimize the historical significance" Kurt said. "We appreciate curiosity in the home. We just need to balance the reality that it's going to be our family home."

The EHFOP is planning to use the proceeds from the sale to pay for the $420,000 loan taken to buy the house in 2001. The rest of the cash will go to its educational and cultural programs.