Big Donation For Fairhope’s Round House In Tolstoy Park

A campaign to relocate the historic Round House at Tolstoy Park in Fairhope has nearly met its goal of $369,000, Gulf Coast Media reports. An anonymous donation of $100,000 to the fundraiser, bringing the total amount of money raised to $322,751 at the time of the donation. The donation campaign is led by the Tolstoy Park Committee, a group of local residents, with Sonny Brewer serving as co-chairman of the committee. Brewer is author of the 2005 novel The Poet of Tolstoy Park, which is about Tolstoy Park and its creator. The Round House was built by Henry Stuart, an Englishman who emigrated to the United States as a child. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. It is currently in an office building parking lot. The committee aims to move it to Flying Creek Nature Preserve, a 108-acre park that opened in August. City leaders have previously supported moving the Round House if the necessary funds are raised.