New London in Southeastern Region, Connecticut — The American Northeast (New England)
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill 1888 - 1953
America's Greatest Playwright
This statue was donated to the people of New London on October 16, 1988 to commemorate the centennial of Eugene O'Neill's birth. The idea for the statue was inspired by the above photograph showing O'Neill as a boy on the New London Waterfront in 1895.
The Monte Cristo Cottage on 325 Pequot Avenue was his boyhood home. He was the only American dramatist to win the Nobel Prize and four Pulitzer Prizes. O'Neill was the first American playwright to win international acclaim and stands with Chekhov, Ibsen, and Shaw as a master of modern drama. His plays include: The Hairy Ape, The Emperor Jones, Beyond the Horizon, Anna Christie, Strange Interlude, Desire Under the Elms, Mourning Becomes Electra, Ali, Wilderness!, The Iceman Cometh, and Long Day's Journey into Night.
Erected 1988 by George C. White, commissioned; funding by Eugene O'Neill Centennial Committee, Marine Commerce and Development Committee, Frank Lumis Palmer Fund, Connecticut State Commission on the Arts, City of New London; Norman W. LeChrissie, sculptor.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music •
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Location. 41° 21.225′ N, 72° 5.556′ W. Marker is in New London in Southeastern Region, Connecticut. It is at the intersection of Waterfront Park and South Water Street on Waterfront Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Waterfront Park, New London CT 06320, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Connecticut Shoreline and in the Thames River Valley. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New London County and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Thames Landing (within shouting distance of this marker); 2 State Street (within shouting distance of this marker); 35 Water Street (within shouting distance of this marker); Union Station (within shouting distance of this marker); Whaling in New London
Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 391 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 30, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
