Faith-Driven Carpenter’s Colorful Niagara Home Preserved as Heritage Tour Site
Isaiah Robertson, a Jamaican-born carpenter, covered his Niagara Falls house with vivid religious woodwork after believing the world would end in 2014; the property is now maintained by the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area for guided tours.
Isaiah Henry Robertson, a carpenter originally from Jamaica, settled in Niagara Falls, New York, where he renovated homes for a local Baptist church. In 2005 he claimed a divine directive to transform his own residence into a sign of the approaching Second Coming, covering walls, ceilings and even the driveway with intricate, multicolored wooden carvings depicting various religious symbols. Believing the world would end in 2014, he added a large cross and a massive boulder he thought would mark the Rapture site.
Robertson died in January 2020 at age 72. The following year the Kohler Foundation purchased the property and gifted it to the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, which has been restoring the artwork and now runs guided tours of the “Prophet Isaiah’s Second Coming House.” Visitors can explore both interior and exterior details for a fee, with free admission for children under 18.
Why it matters
The site illustrates how personal faith can create lasting community landmarks and raises questions about preserving unconventional folk art.
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