KENNEDY-DOUGLASS CENTER
Photo by Tennessee River Valley Tourism
Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts is the City of Florence, Alabama’s cultural arts center. The three-house campus located at 217 E. Tuscaloosa St. Florence, AL lies in the heart of downtown across from Wilson Park. It is comprised of the Kennedy-Douglass Center, the Kennedy-Douglass Annex, and the Southall-Moore House. The main gallery, gift shop, Hiram Kennedy Douglass mini-museum, Florence Arts and Museum offices, and KD Volunteer offices are in the Kennedy-Douglass Center. The Kennedy-Douglass Annex houses three art galleries. The Southall-Moore House hosts organizational meetings, concerts, programs, and workshops.
Kennedy-Douglass is the headquarters for the City of Florence’s department of Arts and Museums and the Kennedy-Douglass Volunteers, a non-profit arts organization developed to support the art center and cultural arts development in the Shoals area. The art center is home to the Arts Alive festival.
Reverend Hiram Kennedy Douglass willed his home (built in 1918) to the city of Florence in 1975 to cultivate an arts center for the citizens of Florence. World-traveled and Oxford-educated, Douglass appreciated those things which enriched the quality of life. It was his desire that the people of Florence have the opportunity for exposure to the restorative powers of music, drama, dance, and visual arts.
Southhall-Moore House
The Southall-Moore home (circa. 1894) was donated to the city of Florence in 2006 by Charles Moore as an addition to the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts. The home was originally owned by the Southall family, founders of Southall Drugs.
Kennedy-Douglass Arts Volunteers
The Kennedy-Douglass Arts Volunteers, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, have fostered and encouraged public appreciation of the arts and humanities in the Shoals area since 1978. They formally established an organization in 1982 to develop opportunities to fund and provide arts and humanities education for the community and in area schools. The Kennedy Douglass Volunteers organize and promote programs and events throughout the year to engage the public interest in Florence Arts and Museums which are cultural centers of Florence.
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