CNN highlights the 'Second Coming House' in the Falls

Mark Scheer, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
·2 min read

Apr. 20—The Second Coming House — an eye-catching Niagara Falls property that was borne from the vision of a man known locally as "Prophet Isaiah" — garnered some national and international attention this month after being featured in a story picked up by CNN.

The colorful home, located at 1308 Ontario Ave., was the subject of a feature story published in the Art Newspaper. As a media partner of the newspaper, CNN promoted the story on its website on Sunday.

The piece is a welcome nod to recent efforts to preserve the house, which was a labor of love and spirituality for "The Prophet" Isaiah Robertson who painted its exterior in a kaleidoscope of colors and adorned the building, inside and out, with elaborate wooden cut-outs depicting stars and crosses.

Robertson, who was born in Jamaica and moved to the Falls after living in Canada, built a 25-foot wooden cross at the head of his home's driveway after he said he received a vision from God that directed him to offer a source of healing in the world. He later started covering the property with brightly painted wooden cut-outs of moons, stars and other items. The building has been a source of curiosity for visitors, art students and journalists for years.

"Although it's difficult to compete with the Falls, Prophet Isaiah's colorful vision draws visitors daily," The Kohler Foundation noted in its description of the building. "The cross and artwork offer an oasis of peace and the site is beloved in the neighborhood."

After Robertson's death in 2020, several individuals and groups came together to preserve the building, including professional photographer Fred Scruton and the Kohler Foundation, a Wisconsin-based philanthropic organization. In 2021, under the foundation's direction, the art preservation company B.R. Howard and Associates began a full-scale conservation effort at the site that involved documenting and evaluating each piece of art before it was all dismantled and reassembled. The Niagara Falls National Heritage Area accepted the site as a gift in 2023 and now oversees the management of the property.