Searchable Online The Eugene O'Neill Foundation maintains the largest collection of O'Neill research materials on the West Coast, including books, photographs, recordings, manuscripts, as well as a searchable collection. The archives are maintained in the Travis Bogard Reading Room at the Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site. Information on the Library can be obtained by contacting the Library Archivist at the Foundation.
The Eugene O'Neill Foundation, Tao House was established for the purpose of acquiring the house and developing the site into a center for performing arts and study. Scholars of the theatre agree that O'Neill can be ranked, along with Shakespeare and Shaw, as one of the three greatest playwrights in the English-speaking world. O'Neill received four Purlitzer Prizes for his work and is the only American playwright to have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Mission
The mission of the Eugene O'Neill Foundation, Tao House, is to celebrate and promote the vision and legacy of Eugene O'Neill, America's foremost playwright.
To achieve its mission, the foundation collaborates with the National Park Service in restoring and preserving Tao House, providing for future generations a memorial that:
Perpetuates the vision of Eugene O'Neill
Provides artistic and educational programs which focus on Eugene O'Neill's contribution to theatre in America and the world;
Maintains a research library which collects, preserves and exhibits books, photos and artifacts related to Eugene O'Neill and the American theatre.
Foundation Background
The first phase of the Foundation's activities focused on securing funds to purchase the house. Through several fundraising efforts (primarily benefit performances of Eugene O'Neill's play Hughie by the late Jason Robards Jr. and Jack Dodson) the Foundation made a down payment, secured title and gained access to the house. Approximately $70,000 was raised through performances of Hughie and a production at Tao House of A Moon for the Misbegotten by Hanover College and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Through the efforts of Senator Alan Cranston and Congressman George Miller, the National Park Service and Congress accepted the House as a donation but had no current funds at that time for acquisition. Through the efforts of Assemblyman Daniel Boatwright and State Senator John Nejedly, the State of California appropriated the needed funds from the Collier Park Preservation Fund to purchase the house.
On October 19, 1976, President Gerald Ford signed SB 2398, calling for the establishment of the Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site into law. Tao House officially became the property of the federal government on June 12, 1980.
The enabling legislation stipulated that the National Park Service is responsible for operation, maintenance and public programs. The Eugene O'Neill Foundation, Tao House is responsible for artistic and educational programs. The National Park Service's General Management Plan, signed into the Federal Register in 1991 describes the plans for the site: small scale theatrical performances, an artist in residence program, full public access, seminars and interpretive tours. Through the efforts of the Foundation, Tao House became a National Historic Site. The National Park Service has shown tremendous commitment to the project and has restored the house to its original design.
