Cole Porter’s birthplace in northern Indiana needs facelift

PERU, Ind. (AP) – Efforts are underway in the northern Indiana city of Peru to spruce up the two-story wooden house where composer Cole Porter was born.

A renovation project started in 2004 to transform the house into a three-room inn and museum dedicated to Porter’s life. It currently attracts about 10 visitors a month and houses memorabilia from the man who wrote songs like “Anything Goes” and “Night and Day.”

But the house’s exterior needs additional work. The Kokomo Tribune reports that the yellow paint that was applied in 2006 is starting to peel.

An online fundraising campaign was launched last month to raise money for work on the home. Its first phase seeks to raise about $12,000 for a new paint job.

Porter was born in Peru, Indiana, in 1891.