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Kennecott Recreation Hall

The Kennecott Recreation Hall, situated in the heart of historic Kennecott, Alaska, is available for weddings, conferences and special events. Built in 1916, it once hosted silent films, dances, and Christmas pageants for mill workers and their families. Today it provides space for a variety of interpretive, educational, community, and recreational activities. This newly restored hall, nestled between the mountains and the Kennicott Glacier, is part of the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark within the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.

Atmosphere and Amenities

The historic character and location in the remote wilderness make the Kennecott Recreation Hall different than a commercial banquet hall or big-city convention center. The hall is a rustic, simple building with large windows looking up to the mountains on the east and out over the Kennicott Glacier on the west. Its many windows can be covered with room-darkening shades or left open to the daylight. The space can be set up for a lecture, conference, reception, dance, party, or any special event.

• 30' x 60' space
• 200 person capacity
• electricity and small propane heater
• two outdoor vault toilets
• access for people with disabilities
• furniture available, including 12 long benches, 16 eight-foot folding tables, 50 folding chairs
• equipment available, including DVD player, microphones and speakers, and microphone stands are available for an additional cost

Local businesses provide catering for those who desire food service. Local labor may be employed for hall set-up or clean-up. You can discuss your needs with our representative when you make your reservation, who will be happy to provide more information on rates and available local services and amenities.

  Download the Rec Hall Brochure for more information

Wrangell Mountains Center, a locally-based nonprofit organization, manages the Kennecott Recreation Hall for community, NPS, and private use May through September. The Wrangell Mountains Center fosters understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of wildlands and mountain culture in Alaska through scientific and artistic inquiry in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The Rec Hall has long played an integral role in the educational and community program organized by the WMC as well as the citizens of Kennecott and McCarthy.

Wrangell Mountains Center accepted management responsibilities for the Rec Hall from another nonprofit organization called Friends of Kennicott, whose mission is to protect the natural, historic, and community values of the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark in cooperation with National Park Service. Friends of Kennicott was instrumental in saving the nearby iconic Mill Building from ruin and in subsequent Park acquisition of what is now Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark, which includes the Rec Hall; Friends also raised funds and negotiated the restoration of this facility for use by the community.