The center was built by Louise Lincoln Kerr, the "Grand Lady of Arizona Music," in the 1950s as a home and studio. Kerr was instrumental in the development of a myriad of cultural organizations in Flagstaff and the Phoenix area and built the center from adobe dug at the site. The daughter of John C. Lincoln, who financed the Camelback Inn and the hospital that bears his name, Kerr bequeathed her home and the studio, which is a theatre that seats 250, as well as her manuscripts to Arizona State University.
Once located out in the desert north of Scottsdale, the urban area surrounding the Kerr Cultural Center and adjacent properties has been developed into condominiums. This development has drastically driven up property values and recently there have been fewer acts booked at the center. A local grassroots organization, the Concerned Citizens for the Kerr Cultural Center, fears that the owners, ASU, may be approached to sell the property to developers.
[For more information, contact Patricia Myers, Concerned Citizens for the Kerr Cultural Center, c/o P.O. Box 4201, Scottsdale, AZ 85261-4201.]
January 2008 Update:
- “East Valley historic sites are fighting for survival,” East Valley Tribune, September 16, 2007
- "Cactus Needles," East Valley Tribune editorial, October 6, 2007
- Scottsdale HP Commission votes to put Kerr on local register, October 14, 2007
- "Scottsdale postpones decision on Kerr Cultural Center," January 11, 2008
- "Scottsdale panel delays Kerr center’s historic status", January 11, 2008
- The Concerned Committee for the Kerr Cultural Center received a letter from ASU stating that the university does not intend on selling the property. APF has requested a copy of the letter for its records.
