Kenan Center Campus

The 25-acre Kenan Center campus includes the historic Kenan Center House at 433 Locust Street, the Taylor Theatre and Education Building, which occupy two converted carriage houses behind the main house, and the Kenan Arena, the newest of the Kenan campus facilities, which houses a variety of sports and recreation programs, as well as special events, throughout the year.

Kenan House

Originally built in 1853, the rose brick house at 433 Locust Street was destroyed entirely by fire in 1854 except for two walls. It was rebuilt in 1858 by George W. Rogers who lived in the house until 1893. Mr. and Mrs. Kenan purchased the house in 1912 for $18,500, and Mr. Kenan undertook extensive remodeling and modernizing.

Exterior. Four levels of rooftop culminate in an observatory offering a panoramic view of the landscaped grounds. The home's exterior is hung and surrounded with cast-iron balconies, and four porches provide winter shelter and summer shade. A three-foot overhang of eaves is edged with wide molding and supported by massive sawn wood brackets.

Kenan Arena

The Kenan Arena, situated at the back of the Kenan Center campus, opened its doors in 1968 and featured an ice rink that served the Lockport and eastern Niagara region for seventeen years. Today, the Arena houses an extensive sports and recreation program for youth and adults, including one of the largest indoor youth soccer programs in the region, and a growing lacrosse program. The facility also provides exhibition space for 100 American Craftsmen as well as a variety of events.

Taylor Theater and Meeting Room

In 1969, the 153-seat Taylor Theater, the former carriage house of the Kenan estate, raised the curtain on its first production. The restoration and conversion of the carriage house was made possible by two sisters, Nan and Dora Taylor, trustees of the Mary Tucker Hoard and Sarah Tucker Wilson Memorial Fund (under the will of Nellie H. Weaver). The building was designed by New York City architect, Malcolm Holzman. For many years, the theater served as the home to local community theater groups including the Four Seasons Players. Since 2001, the Family Performance Series, has become a fixture in the venue, bringing quality performances by nationally known performing artists to young people and their families.

Education Building

Kenan Center Gardens

Although just a portion of the 25-acre Kenan estate, the gardens represent a continuing legacy of William R. Kenan Jr.’s great love of horticulture. By his own account, Mr. Kenan spent as much as $9,000 each year on landscaping, plants, fertilizers and gardeners during the 1940’s and 50s. A scientist by nature and profession, Mr. Kenan approached his gardening with a great zeal, keeping meticulous notes on all his expenditures and experiments.

Two of Mr. Kenan’s most celebrated horticultural wonders were a night blooming cereus and the infamous “King Tut” peas. The cereus—a rare cactus that was growing in Mr. Kenan’s greenhouse when he purchased the property—is known for yielding short-lived and extremely fragrant blossoms that open only at night. For many years, Mr. Kenan would surprise his neighbors with these delicate gifts left surreptitiously on their doorsteps.

The phenomenon known as the “King Tut” peas actually made local newspaper headlines in the early 1950’s. According to Mr. Kenan, an acquaintance named Lewis L. Fawcett, sent him some seeds claiming that they were the result of a plant germinated from a pod found in the tomb of King Tut Ankh Amon during the exploration by Lord Canorvan in the 1920’s. Whether the story was true or not, Mr. Kenan planted the seeds which grew into a 79” bush bearing purple pods and blossoms. A smaller version of the plant remains on the south side of the Kenan house.

Today, the gardens offer visitors a multi-sensory botanical and artistic experience. Behind the grand south porch that, itself, is graced with a lush wisteria tree that yields sweet smelling, lavender-hued blossoms in late spring, visitors can stroll brick paths through the formal garden, past a shallow, shaded pond and two trellises and finally end at a traditional herb garden boasting more than 100 varieties of plants. On the north side of the former carriage house that now serves as the Taylor Theater, is a perennial garden that, when fully in bloom, is a veritable explosion of color. In 2006, a terrace patio was added behind the Taylor Theater Meeting Room facing the gardens.

The gardens may be visited daily from 9:00 a.m. to dusk. Tour groups are welcome with advance notice. A rental fee is required for all group use of the grounds such as weddings or receptions. Dates are limited. Please contact the Center at least three months in advance by calling 433-2617 to inquire about availability and fees. Not all group activities can be accommodated.

Photos taken by Kristin Dickinson.