By Suzanna Ritz Malliett

The Körner’s Folly Foundation is thrilled to announce that the John & Bobbie Wolfe Visitors Center, located at 401 South Main Street, next to the historic house, will open with a special community celebration on Monday, April 1, 2024 starting at 10 am. Commemorating the 144th anniversary of the opening of Körner’s Folly on Easter Monday in 1880. This event will feature not just an opportunity to explore the new building, but also a chance to enjoy self-guided tours of the historic house with free admission for Kernersville citizens. All are welcome to enjoy food, fun, and festivities, including hands-on art activities and historic yard games, wrapping up at 4 pm.

This community celebration will be a culmination of the capital campaign embarked upon by the Körner’s Folly Foundation in 2018. The goals of this campaign included raising funds for the construction of the Visitors Center, creation of a sustainability fund to support operations and programming in the new building, and to continue the interior restoration of the 22-room historic house.

Since the capital campaign begin, interior restoration work has continued, including: the North Entry and Stairway, the Breakfast Room, the Summer Kitchen, the Children’s Playrooms, and several more, bringing the total of restored rooms at Körner’s Folly to 16 of 22.

The Visitors Center is made possible through a public-private partnership between the Körner’s Folly and the Town of Kernersville, as well as resources allocated through Forsyth County and the State of North Carolina. Campaign contributions also include investments in this next chapter of the Foundation’s history, provided through local, state, and regional foundations, and hundreds of private donations from community members, businesses, and organizations that believe in the Körner’s Folly Foundation’s mission.

The John & Bobbie Wolfe Visitors Center is named for the couple who has had a tremendous impact on the organization over many years. From providing the legal framework for the Körner’s Folly Foundation, to the donation of hundreds of original artifacts, and the presentation of educational programs for thousands of school-age children. The Center will help the Foundation achieve strategic objectives first set in 2017, including widening access to this historic landmark and educational resource, deepening engagement with the public, and establishing sustainable infrastructure.

Designed by architects West & Stem and built by Wilson Covington Construction Company, the Visitors Center has been created with increased accessibility at the forefront. Inside the new building, the media room will offer a virtual tour alternative for visitors who cannot safely navigate the steps, stairs, and narrow passageways of the home, which was built across seven distinct architectural levels. The community room will be available for event rentals, as well as offering flexible space for new and existing educational programs. A climate-controlled artifact storage room and space for rotating exhibits will help the Körner’s Folly Foundation both care for and share with the community artifacts originally owned by family members that will increase our understanding of this important part of our past.

The Visitors Center will also function as a central point for delivery of local tourism information, and Foundation staff will work not just to answer visitor questions about the historic home, but also to direct those from out of town to the near by attractions, organizations, and businesses that make Kernersville such a great place to live, work, play, and learn. Improved amenities, such as a paved lot with space for motor coach and bus parking, a greater number of restrooms, and increased retail and program spaces, will respond to areas of improvement identified through stakeholder and visitor surveys. All these changes will help the Körner’s Folly Foundation better serve visitors to the historic house as well as the town of Kernersville as a whole.

To see this exciting new addition to the Körner’s Folly campus, and the town of Kernersville, make sure to join us for the Grand Opening celebration on April 1! In addition to a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Kernersville Chamber of Commerce, remarks from Foundation staff and board members, and recognition of the generous support of campaign donors, all are welcome to enjoy a free admission day, food trucks, and games and activities for all ages.