Music

Kurt Cobain's childhood home might become a museum

by Mark Teo

This year will mark the 20th—the 20th!—anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death, and accordingly, we’ve seen noble efforts to commemorate the Nirvana singer: In the last month alone, we saw Aberdeen, Wash., declare its first Kurt Cobain Day. We’ve seen an elaborate Craigslist hoax orchestrated by Sub Pop. And elsewhere, a heartfelt (but ultimately horrid) statue of the “Scentless Apprentice” singer was erected.

So, what’s next? If Portland-based journalist Jaime Dunkle has her way, it could be a Kurt Cobain museum, erected at the singer’s childhood home.

That home, located in Aberdeen (where else?), recently went to market—Cobain’s mother, Wendy O’Connor, has it listed for $500,000. According to the BBC, the bungalow is valued at less that $70,000; his mother was hoping that someone would turn the site, which still contains the singer’s mattress and scrawlings, into a museum.

“We’ve decided to sell the home to create a legacy for Kurt, and yes, there are some mixed feelings since we have all loved the home and it carries so many great memories,” Cobain’s sister, Kim, said in a statement. “But our family has moved on from Washington, and feel it’s time to let go of the home.”

Here’s a photo of his house.

Dunkle posted a photo of the interior, too—you can see Iron Maiden’s logo scrawled into the drywall.

Dunkle, for her part, isn’t simply a rabid fan. She’s trying to raise money, using a Gofundme page, to purchase the property, to “[make] sure this house is memorialized by us fans so it doesn’t end up in the clutches of capitalist greed.” And we’re with her: We’d rather see Cobain’s artifacts preserved in a site with historical significance—it’d certainly top having his belongings at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

So, she approached a real estate agent, contacted Cobain’s mother, and, after weeks of correspondence, finally set up a meeting to view the house.  “Being inside was a total head spin,” she told the Broward-Palm Beach New Times. I had to meet with city officials and the realtor first, and by the time we finished hashing out some logistics for making it a museum, I only had 15 minutes to take pictures and make a video.”

“As I wandered around, looking in closets, I imagined him as a teen, crouched inside, scribbling in his diaries or making sketches. The walk up the stairs into his bedroom made the hairs on my neck stand up. All I could think was that I was seeing through his eyes and walking in his footsteps, literally.”

To illustrate her point, she even posted this video of her viewing.

No word on how much money Dunkle has raised, but her Gofundme page is loaded with incentives: Donate $15, and you’ll get a year’s membership to the museum. Donate $100, and you’ll get a limited-edition screenprinted shirt and a five-year membership. Donate $1,000, and you’ll receive lifetime membership, the aforementioned shirt, and a sleepover at the museum. Bring your jammies.