Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, the small Fordham-area home in the Bronx where the famous writer spent the final years of his life, recently reopened after more than a year of renovation.

The 200-year-old cottage now sitting inside Poe Park, on Kingsbridge Road and the Grand Concourse, was repaired due to the “wear and tear” of its interior and exterior, said Angel Hernandez, Bronx Historical Society’s education coordinator. The low-ceilinged house with petite-sized rooms received a fresh coat of paint as well as repairs to the stairs, cracks and holes in walls and even the rotting beams in the tiny kitchen.

“In total, the restoration cost $480,000,” said Franklin D. Vagnone, executive director of the Historical House Trust, which provided funding for the project along with the Bronx Historical Society and the federal government. Apple Restoration contracted out the work on the house.

The cottage was originally located on the other side of Kingsbridge Road, closer to what is now Fordham Road, and was moved to its current location in 1913. Poe lived in the Bronx at the cottage during the last years of his life, from 1846 to1849. He moved to the Bronx with his wife in hopes of saving her from dying of tuberculosis. (She died in 1847.)

The cottage is filled with period pieces as well as two actual pieces of furniture that Poe used himself: a rocking chair and his bed. The cottage is the oldest and last remaining building in what was once called Fordham Village. During the years that Poe stayed at the cottage the area was mostly farmland. At the cottage, Poe wrote many of his most famous stories, including “Landor’s Cottage,” a short story based on his time in the Bronx.

Hernandez said the Historical Society is looking to expand its programming at the cottage. During the week, school groups are able to go on tours of the cottage. There are poetry readings inside and a short film is offered in one of the top floor rooms.

In order to further expand its audience, “We are planning on starting a bilingual program in Spanish and French,” said Hernandez.

In a modern twist, Hernandez said they plan on setting up a toll-free number to allow people to listen to audio tours from their own cell phones.

Ed. Note: Poe Cottage is open for tours on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. and costs $5 for adults and $3 for students, children and senior citizens. For more information, visit www.historichousetrust.org.