Help us protect the home of one of America’s greatest writers.
When Ernest Hemingway wrote, “The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water”, he understood that what is most powerful and meaningful often lies beneath the surface. The same is true of preservation.
Preservation, like an iceberg, is mostly invisible. Your support is what keeps it afloat. You are the force beneath the surface that makes our work possible.
This past year, thanks to your generosity, we supported the conservation of vulnerable documents, monitored temperature and humidity in aging rooms, provided materials for the continued maintenance of the Restoration Center, conducted assessments of windows damaged by storms and termites, and our team of U.S. architects and engineers began the painstaking restoration of damaged windows—one frame, one pane, one window at a time.
Finca Vigía is a cultural treasure. Every object, every wall, every page in the archive holds stories that would be lost forever without our Foundation’s care. Your support ensures those stories continue to inspire, teach, and connect us.
Every gift makes a difference. Your support matters.
Thank you!
Ron Staley Named to Michigan Construction Hall of Fame at Ferris State
The Finca Vigía Foundation proudly celebrates the induction of Ron Staley into the Michigan Construction Hall of Fame at Ferris State University. Staley has been a cornerstone of the Foundation’s Technical Team and a vital force in our preservation efforts. This prestigious honor recognizes a career dedicated to excellence in historic preservation—work that has directly contributed to the safeguarding of Ernest Hemingway’s home, Finca Vigía.
Staley brings decades of experience restoring some of the world’s most significant historic structures. His leadership on complex preservation projects has included Michigan Central Station, the U.S. Capitol, and numerous nationally and internationally recognized landmarks.
His expertise has been instrumental to the Foundation’s mission to preserve Finca Vigía as a site of global literary and cultural importance.
The Finca Vigía Foundation is deeply grateful for Ron Staley’s leadership and longstanding commitment to the preservation of this irreplaceable historic site.
To read full article: Ferris.edu
Photo above: US Technical Team members outside Hemingway’s home. (L to R) Ronald Staley, Manuel Martinez, William Dupont.
OUR MISSION
From the Executive Director
Foundation News
Hemingway’s Finca Vigía: Preserving American Cultural Heritage
From an essay by Dr. Sandra Spanier
Finca Vigía is the fitting home of the treasure trove of papers and books, some still in need of being restored, preserved, and scanned. But the importance of Finca Vigía extends far beyond serving as the natural repository for the Hemingway papers and books. The house itself tells the story of Hemingway’s life and work. Not only did he write IN the house, he even wrote ON its very walls: to this day, one can read on the bathroom walls Hemingway’s penciled daily records of his weight, along with some pithy notations about what he ate or drank.