Studio dating:  Arthur’s May 1958 correspondence shows planning was already in progress for building the studio;  saved receipts note the gas heater (above, at right) was installed in March 1959.   [Arthur purchased the Tophet Road property in March 1958.]

Dimensions:  The studio is 14 feet wide by 22 feet long and is 12 feet high at the ridge. It has 2-foot overhangs at the eaves. The square footage is approximately 300 square feet.

Furnishing and contents:  Studio contents include Arthur’s original furnishings and most everything he added in later years.   Please see these photographs and the itemized description below, with snapshots documenting the studio’s interior in late winter 2018.  (Please click on individual photos for expanded views.)

Arthur made his first desk from a wooden door.   He added a large desk with drawers after he expanded the studio structure.  He made the third desk from heavy plywood to hold his early computer equipment and printer: it has typewriter stand too.  The desk chairs reflect different eras as well – from a 1950s molded fiberglass chair to a fabric-covered swivel office chair added in the late 1990s.

Included with the studio:  three desks, and assorted desk chairs, an electric typewriter set on the desk, a travel typewriter with case, a steel typewriter table, a large dictionary on stand, a tall metal file cabinet with safe compartment, floor lamps, desk lamp, computer monitor and printer,  a radio, a day bed, a pot-belly woodstove (with ash bucket), and all artwork on walls, including a few beloved family photographs, four paintings and a framed drawing by Arthur’s daughter Rebecca Miller, play posters, and the “Providence – Boston” road sign he hung by the door.

Also included with the studio is Arthur’s studio library.  This working library includes volumes Arthur used for reference while writing, and books he wanted to reread or keep near.  There are approximately 160 books.  Books moved between the house library and studio: a few singed spines indicate books that survived a 1983 house fire.

 

(above photos: spring 2018)