Location:  This Weekly Gem is located at 599 Summit Ave. in St. Paul, MN (see the Clue Me! Map). F. Scott Fitzgerald finished his first novel, “This Side of Paradise,” while residing in this ‘house below average, of a street above average, in a room below the roof.’

Though best known for his novels (also The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night, and The Beautiful and the Damned), Fitzgerald left behind some insightful non-fiction, a diary of sorts, called “The Outline Chart of my Life.” A few snippets:

Year of birth

“1896 Sept. 24th at 3-30 P.M. a son Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald to Edward and Mary Fitzgerald. The day was Sunday. The weight was 10 lbs., 6 oz. The place was 481 Laurel Ave, St. Paul, Minn.”

One year old

“Oct He attempted to walk

Dec Bronchitis. A specialist was summoned but as his advice was not followed the child pulled through.

April Tiring of St. Paul he went east to Buffalo New York where with his parents he installed himself at the Lennox.”

Three years old

“1900  Jan His mother presented him with a sister who lived only an hour.

Feb  He celebrated the new century by swallowing a penny and catching the measles. He got rid of both of them.

March  His parents sent him to school but he wept and wailed so they took him out again after one morning.”

Four years old

“July  His sister Annabel was born. His first certain memory is the sight of her howling on a bed.”

Seven years old

“Sept  He had a birthday party to which no one came. He moved to Buffalo, New York, possibly in consequence, where he had a dog named “Beautiful Joe,” a black cocker spaniel, and also a bycycle – a girl’s bycycle. He was sent to school at the Holy Angel's convent under the arrangement that he need only go half a day and was allowed to choose which half."

Nine years old

"Jan  He used to scare Annabel by a game called 'Bad Brownie come to eat you up' and 'Good Brownie come to see what you want for Christmas.'"

Ten years old

"Jan  He began a detective story about a necklace that was hidden in a trapdoor under the carpet."

Eleven years old

"March  His father's services were no longer required by Proctor and Gamble.  He remembers the day, and that he gave is mother back his swimming money after he heard her at the phone."

"July  Came out to St. Paul to live with Grandmother."

Fourteen years old

"Jan  Became an inveterate author and a successful, not to say brilliant debater and writer.  Excelled in track meets."

"April  Margaret Armstrong invites me to Oak Hall dance.  Faint sex attractions."

"July  Went to White Bear Yatch (his spelling) Club. Played tennis.  Swam.  Stole candy.  Sailed.  Skinned gophers, played on Archer's railroad."

Fitzgerald grew to be a carouser and alcoholic, after having trouble with school right through his first two years at Princeton (when he dropped out to join the army). He was very active with sports and social activities, but ironically was a poor writer, possibly dyslexic, and his academic achievement was lacking. Some of the entries indicate a general unhappiness during his teens, but things coming together to some degree in his early twenties.

Fifteen years old

“ A year of real unhappiness excepting the fevered joys of Xmas. ”

Sixteen years old

“ A better year but not happy. ”

Eighteen years old

“ A year of tremendous rewards that toward the end overreached itself and ruined me. ”

"Feb  My sense of perfection.  If I couldn't be perfect I wouldn't be anything."

"Mar  Perfection -- black hair, olive skin and tenor voice.  My fake tenor."

Nineteen years old

“ A year of terrible disappointments & the end of all college dreams. Everything bad in it was my own fault. ”

Twenty years old

“ Outwardly a failure with moments of danger, but the foundation of my literary life. ”

Twenty-two years old

“ The most important year of life. Every ambition and my life work described. Miserable and ecstatic but a great success. ”

"Sept  Fell in love on the 7th. (Moved to 599 Summit) Discovery that Zelda's class voted her prettiest & most attractive."

Twenty-three years old

"Mar  Book published on 26th."

That was his first novel, “This Side of Paradise.” The remainder of his chart of his life covers the next 15 years, which are more sad than happy, a diary of sorts documenting his own decline. 

Twenty-four years old

"Work at the beginning but dangerous at the end.  A slow year, dominated by Zelda & on the whole happy."

Twenty-five years old

"A bad year.  No work.  Slow deteriorating repression with outbreak around the corner."

Twenty-seven years old

"The most miserable year since I was nineteen, full of terrible failures and accute miseries.  Full of hard work fairly well rewarded in the latter half and attempts to do better."

Twenty-nine years old

"Futile, shameful useless but the $30,000 rewards of 1924 work.  Self disgust.  Health gone."

Thirty two, Years Old (and sore as hell about it)

"Ominous! No Real Progress in any way & wrecked myself with dozens of people."

Thirty-Seven Years Old

"Zelda breaks, the novel finished.  Hard times begin for me, slow but sure.  Ill health throughout."

The Chart continued through age 38, the last entry being page 189. The next ten pages were ripped out, with a blank page 200. It would be interesting to find his notes for his remaining years, from age 39 to 44 ... which were, perhaps, too difficult for him to share.

.........

Here's the hidden gem entry from our Clue Me! map.

Clue

“In a house below the average … Of a street above the average … In a room below the roof…”

Description

The home of F. Scott Fitzgerald while he wrote, "This Side of Paradise."

Why It's Interesting

This is the home where F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote his first novel, "This Side of Paradise." He wrote it in the third floor attic (right side - two windows) of his parents home. The book is semi-autobiographical switching between third person and second person. Many of the characters are developed from people F. knew at the time!

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