Built in 1888 by W.K. and Emma Knox Kenan, the home is an excellent local example of Victorian Cottage architecture. The Kenans settled in Geneva in 1882 and were charter members of the Geneva Presbyterian Church established in 1884. Despite the flood of 1929 and a fire in 1930 that destroyed the library located in the armory, Mrs. Kenan continued her dream for a public library. For a time, the home housed the library on the back porch before its permanent location opened on Commerce Street in 1934. The library was named in honor of Mrs. Kenan in 1934, and the home was listed to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1985.