The residence of the author Stephen Crane is located in the heart of Asbury Park, New Jersey. Built in 1878, the Stephen Crane House was formerly known as Arbutus Cottage. Stephen Crane (1871-1900) was a prolific essayist, poet, short story writer, novelist, and war correspondent. The Red Badge of Courage, published at the age of 24, was his master novel. Mary Helen Peck Crane, the mother of Stephen Crane, bought the house in 1883. Over the years, the house served as a boarding house, hotel, keeper of ghosts, and condemned building. The Steven Crane Society bought the house in 1995 and saved it from destruction. In 2001, Frank D'Alessandro, an Asbury Park resident, bought it and maintained it as a living museum. The roof was reconstructed in a style consistent with the original slate roof. Kathleen Magee, a local house painter, repainted the entire exterior of the house. Today, the house serves as a museum dedicated to Stephen Crane. The goal of the restoration is to provide a literary meeting place, and to create a Stephen Crane library for the Asbury Park community.