Kerr Cultural Center

Louise Lincoln Kerr was a composer, violist and patron of the arts. She was the daughter of John C. Lincoln, an engineer and real estate tycoon. In 1910, she attended Barnard College in New York, where she studied music composition. She left New York around 1913 in order to join the early Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, one of the first two women to join the orchestra. After relocating to Scottsdale, Kerr purchased 47 acres of land south of Lincoln Drive (was named for her father, who built Camelback Inn) and willed two acres and the buildings to Arizona State University’s College of Fine Arts before passing. For nearly 50 years, this center has served as a place where musicians and other artists have come together to perform, work, talk, listen and learn.