Kern Place

About Kern Place

Kern Palce, Texas is a community that was developed by Peter Kern. This area has become very popular with college and university students. The area has an entertainment district, coffee shops, and restaurants. Cincinnati Street is a small bar district which includes the Fellini Film Cafe, Loft Bar, Hemmingway's, Crawdaddy's, GeoGeske, Marco Polo Dive Bar, Dane's Steakhouse, Kern's Place Cigars, and Muse. Thousands of people are attracted to the area every year for the annual Mardi Gras festival as well as for sporting events and concerts. In 1916 Peter Kern constructed an archway entrance to the subdivision. Kern designed the gate himself and built it as a monument to lady luck. The gate consisted of pillars topped with elaborate symbols that were meant to represent mysticism. This consisted of a zodiac calendar and ancient symbols with the Kern family crest. Fourty four electric light bulbs illuminated the words Kern Place. The archway only remained lit for about two years when the resident complained about it being too bright at night. The gate was dismantled in 1954 in an effort to widen the street. Peter Kern made a great deal of money in El Paso with a jewelery business and began to purchase land around the area including the sandy hilled mesa that Kern Place is built on. The subdivision was planned in 1914 with the help of W.I. Rider, an engineer from Rochester, New York. Kern Place has continued to thrive with many young people breating new life into the area.