ONLY ON 3: An inside look at UNCW chancellor’s historic Wilmington home

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Tucked behind a stone wall off of busy Market Street in Wilmington is the Kenan Mansion. Built in 1911, the house is now home to the new UNCW chancellor and his wife, Zito and Kathy Sartarelli.

“It’s just a monumental place,” Chancellor Sartarelli said. “It’s beautiful. The color, the structure. The columns and that makes it very special.”

Special not only because it’s an historic place, but also because it is still a home.

“Day by day we are growing to love the place,” Chancellor Sartarelli said. “We’re still settling in and we’re making friends. Kathy is still making friends.”

According to UNCW, the Kenan House was originally built for Thomas Emerson. In 1923, Sarah Graham Kenan bought it for $36,000. The university said that equals about $900,000 today. The Kenan family then gifted it to the university in the 1960s. Along with the gift, the vice chancellor for university advancement said the Kenan trust set up an endowment to help UNCW maintain and repair the home.

“It’s not uncommon for their reaction to be astonishment at how great the place is and how well it’s been kept up,” Vice Chancellor Eddie Stewart said.

The Sartarellis moved in about two months ago.

“What’s wonderful is the people who come here for receptions,” Kathy Sartarelli said. “They know so many stories about the house.”

As they learn more about the house, they said it’s starting to feel more like home. It’s a beautiful piece of the past, as the chancellor puts his sights on the future.

“I think we have a big task ahead of us, but our future state, our big vision is to look back five, ten years from now and look at UNCW as a great, great university,” Chancellor Sartarelli said.