Poets House

History

Founded in 1985 by poet Stanley Kunitz and arts administrator Elizabeth Kray, Poets House has created a home for all who read and write poetry. From 1990 to 2007, that home was located in an intimate loft at 72 Spring Street in Soho. As rent increases began to make Soho an impractical location, Poets House was designated by the Battery Park City Authority as a rent-free tenant in a new building on the banks of the Hudson River. In the summer of 2009, Poets House moved to its permanent home at 10 River Terrace in Battery Park City, opening to the public on September 25, 2009.

Specialties

Poets House is a poetry library and literary center that is free and open to the public. Outfitted with couches, armchairs, writing desks and reading nooks, this accessible place for poetry is located on the banks of the Hudson River at 10 River Terrace in Battery Park City. With a river-view Reading Room, a Programming Hall that opens into an outdoor courtyard, a multidisciplinary Exhibition Space, expansive Multimedia Archive, cozy Children's Room, and world-class poetry library, this 11,000-square-foot space in a LEED-gold certified