One of the first things the neighbors working to revitalize the alley noticed was that it already had a name.
A standard City street sign identified it as Kenny Alley. Until then, many nearby residents had simply thought of it as the alley or the stairs between London Street and Mission Street. Discovering that it had an official name changed the way the project took shape.
As the history of the alley was researched, residents learned that Kenny Alley had been established as a public passage in 1921. Long before the revitalization project began in 2015, it quietly connected Excelsior neighbors between London Street and the Mission Street commercial corridor. Every day, people walked through the alley to reach transit, neighborhood markets, restaurants and local businesses.
By 2015, however, the alley had become known for something else. Graffiti, illegal dumping, poor lighting and neglect had made it an unpleasant place to walk, despite its importance as a neighborhood connection.
The discovery that the alley already had a name sparked an idea among the project volunteers.
Places with names have identities. Identities give people something to recognize, talk about and care for.
After Friends of Kenny Alley was formed, volunteers embraced the alley's name as part of its new identity. Rather than treating it as simply another beautification project, the group chose to celebrate the name and make it visible. Plans eventually included a permanent mosaic monument sign at the Mission Street entrance proudly identifying Kenny Alley. The reverse side featured a matching Mission Street mosaic, inspired by the wayfinding mosaics found in subway stations around the world.
Around the same time, the volunteer team adopted the alley's resident black cat. Naturally, he became Kenny, named after the alley he called home. He quickly became the project's unofficial mascot and was later immortalized in the monument sign, where he still watches over the entrance today.
No story about Friends of Kenny Alley would be complete without remembering Roseann Harris, a longtime Excelsior resident, dedicated volunteer and friend to every neighborhood cat she met. Roseann played an essential role throughout the project, and her kindness, generosity and commitment left a lasting mark on both the volunteer team and the neighborhood. Friends of Kenny Alley lovingly dedicate this story to her memory.
Sometimes stewardship begins by simply recognizing that a place already has an identity.