The Kent to Open in February in Historic Snuff District

The Kent, a new event center, is slated to open in February at 61 Keel Avenue at Front Street.

Work currently is underway to get the 27,000-square-foot space ready.

“The Kent is a historic redevelopment of a warehouse property that dates back to the late 1800s that was a cotton seed oil business back in the day,” says Adam Slovis, partner with the ownership group Wolf River Harbor Holdings LLC. “That was the origination. And then for years it was a steel fabrication company. Tri State Iron Works was there for years and modifications to the building were made by them.

“The Meloni family, Aquaserv, owned the building since the ’80s up until we bought it a few years ago. Around 2016, ’17.”

And, Slovis says, “We chose to save it and try to redevelop it and turn it into an event center.”

The one-story building is near other property being developed by Wolf River Harbor Holdings. This includes the Varsity Spirit building, a four-story parking garage, and apartments, all across the street or catty-corner from The Kent. “It’s a good addition to what we’re doing to that part of town, the historic Snuff District.”

The whole district is named for the old American Snuff Company, which was located in the Conwood Building, where Varsity Spirit will be located.

The area is about half a mile north of Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid on the north end of Front Street. “The whole neighborhood, the Snuff District, is now a historic district. It was registered as a historic district (American Snuff Company Historic District). It includes several blocks of buildings and properties, including 61 Keel Avenue,” Slovis says.

“That means it has a number of buildings that are considered historical in nature and that we are agreeing to keep them safe. Redeveloping them and not tearing them down.”

The address where The Kent is located is registered on the National Register of Historic Places, Slovis says.

Explaining the building name, Slovis says, “The name ‘Kent’ came from combining the two street names, Keel and Front. We took the ‘Ke’ and the ‘nt’ and it spells ‘Kent.’”

The building, which had been used for industrial purposes, was in good shape, Slovis says.