National Parks:
Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site

Danville, California -- Eugene Gladstone O'Neill, the only Nobel Prize winning playwright from the United States and the architect of modern American theater, lived at Tao House in the hills above Danville from 1937 to 1944. It was at this site that he wrote his final and most successful plays; "The Iceman Cometh," "Long Days Journey Into Night," and "A Moon For the Misbegotten." Since 1980, the National Park Service has been restoring Tao House, its courtyard and orchards and telling the story of O'Neill, his work and his influence on American theater.

DID YOU KNOW

• Authorized as a National Historic Site on October 12, 1976.
• Reservations are required to visit this park and include transportation to the site from Danville, a guided tour through Tao House, and self-guided exploration of the grounds. No entrance fee.
• This is the only national park site dedicated to a playwright.
• The park is 13.19 acres and includes the historic home built by the O'Neills, a restored Taoist courtyard, collection of period and original furnishings, walnut and almond orchards, a pre- and a post-O'Neill barn, and O'Neill's swimming pool.
• Plays are performed twice a year in the old barn and are organized by The Eugene O'Neill Foundation, Tao House.
• Annual visitation is 3,700 (public tours and productions).

DON'T MISS ATTRACTIONS

• During your guided tour through Tao House, look for Eugene and Carlotta’s influence with courtyard paths that lead to nowhere, a hidden front door, ‘Rosie’ belting honky-tonk tunes, Asian antique furniture, and mysterious wall recesses.
• Enter the most private room in O’Neill’s home, his study, where he turned his tragic life experiences into a healing art form.
• Pay your respects to Silverdene Emblem O’Neill (Blemie), the O’Neill’s faithful and beloved Dalmatian who was buried behind the barn.
• Enjoy the view across San Ramon Valley beside the pool where O’Neill swam laps in the summer sun.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PRIORITIES

The National Park Service just completed a seismic retrofit of the historic Tao House. When the house was built in 1937, in an active earthquake area, seismic reinforcement had not been included. Visitors and staff enter the home daily. The park was closed for seven months during 2003 winter/spring. The newly completed work will assist in preserving the home and makign it safer for public use. Most importantly, it assures the home now can withstand an earthquake.

Current projects include improving education, preservation and availability for public visits to the O'Neill home. The National Park Service, in its goal of preserving the historic integrity specific to the O'Neill's home, is painting the exterior of the home, repairing all the exterior window and door shutters, and removing the non-historic wire fencing surrounding the orchards.

Source: National Park Service