September 10, 2025
By Anthony D’Aries
Photos by Inge Morath / Magnum Photos
Across from Roxbury Market, behind Town Hall, beyond rock salt piles and snowplows, Arthur Miller’s handbuilt writing studio sits on skids.
It’s hard to see from the road, but if you drive slowly, you can glimpse the corner of the roof or a weathered cedar shingle. Built in 1958, the studio once lived on the edge of Miller’s home in Roxbury, and every morning his writing ritual began with a walk from the main house to the studio tucked into the tree line. Here he wrote the screenplays for The Crucible and The Misfits, as well as his autobiography, Timebends. Like many of Miller’s iconic characters—from Willy Loman in Death of Salesman to Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge to Victor Franz in The Price—the studio awaits redemption.
Fortunately, an organization of scholars, architects, and artists is dedicated to preserving this important cultural landmark and relocating it to its permanent home adjacent to Roxbury’s Minor Memorial Library. The Arthur Miller Writing Studio (AMWS), in collaboration with the Arthur Miller Society and the Inge Morath Estate, envision the refurbished studio as an inspirational and educational site where writers, theater companies, and schools, as well as the public at large, can connect with the soul and vision of one of America’s most influential playwrights.
“Not only is keeping Arthur Miller’s studio in Roxbury a way to honor his presence and provide a window into his creative process,” says Sarah Griswold, board president of AMWS, “it’s a personal marker for me of the extraordinary people who have made this area their home, and who continue to enrich it to this day.”
Longtime Roxbury resident and master builder Marc Olivieri, along with award-winning architects Peter Talbot and Joseph Matto, head up AMWS’s site committee. Olivieri lived across from the Millers since 1980, and often helped Arthur with home projects, including renovations after a fire in 1983. Since then, Olivieri has remained a close family friend. He and his son oversaw the delicate transportation of the studio from Miller’s home to Roxbury Town Hall after Arthur’s daughter Rebecca gifted it to the community.
Olivieri and his team plan to restore the studio to its original condition, complete with Miller’s daybed, library, and writing desk. The project also includes a new climate-controlled archival cellar.
Of course, a project of this magnitude requires funding. Impressively, AMWS has raised half of the $1 million-dollar goal, in part from the generous support of Roxbury residents. This past August, the organization hosted a sold-out event featuring Rebecca Miller’s documentary, Arthur Miller: Writer, followed by a discussion with the filmmaker. Many attendees knew Arthur personally. To them, he wasn’t a mythic icon; he was a neighbor, a friend, the guy down the road you could ask for help rebuilding a fence or planting fruit trees. “He did really feel like he belonged to this town,” Rebecca said, smiling, “and that the town belonged to him.”
AMWS hosts a free film series focusing on Litchfield County artists and writers, as well as a yearly international conference in October. Donations to AMWS can be made online at, arthurmillerstudio.org/contact.
