Author: thekaintuckeean

NoD: Union Mill Bridge Down for the Count

Union Mill, Kentucky
An Overgrown Union Mill Bridge;
Photo by George W. Dean		 Site of the old Union Mill Bridge;

December 2011

In 1915, raging flood waters took from the Jessamine County community of Union Mill its covered bridge. The bridge connected the two sides of this community and provided a link between Nicholasville and the Valley View Ferry. Almost immediately, the Jessamine Fiscal Court awarded the contract for construction of a replacement bridge to Lexington’s Empire Bridge Company. The new bridge was to be of steel truss at a price was $2,697.

Spring 2010;
Photo by George W. Dean

About forty years later, the 1915 bridge was abandoned when the road was rerouted slightly downstream. For over fifty years, the abandoned bridge experienced rising and receding waters as well as an annual vegetation that nearly hid the bridge itself. But the years took its toll. Photos by Magistrate George W. Dean reveals only 2 1/2 feet of bridge above the water leaving an entire “roadbed” submerged for several days during the floods in the spring of 2010 (see photo at left).

Following the 2010 spring floods, local authorities discussed what could be done to restore and preserve this nearly century-old Jessamine County landmark. Any repair, however, would only prove to be a short-term fix. So costs and the lack of potential reuse left leadership with tied hands. With a new bridge over Little Hickman Creek just yards downstream, safety could not be ignored.

As a result, the last weekend in November 2011, witnessed the removal of that old truss bridge which had spanned the Little Hickman Creek for nearly a century.

Sources: George W. Dean emails; Jonathan Parrish emails; Municipal Journal

kernel: Kentucky’s Christmas Ornament Features the Governor’s Mansion

Governor's Mansion Christmas Ornament - Kentucky
2011 Commonwealth Christmas Ornament

Announced last month, the Commonwealth’s Division of Historic Properties annual Christmas ornament features the Governor’s Mansion this year. In a repeat of last year’s state capitol ornament, K&M Crafts of Kentucky (Campbellsville) was selected to craft this year’s ornament out of maple and cherry woods.

The ornament features a scale Governor’s Mansion atop a pedestal which features the state seal and the signatures of both Governor and First Lady Beshear. The Beaux Arts villa, inspired by Marie Antoinette’s La Petite Trianon, was completed in 1914.

Earlier this week, I ventured to Frankfort to pick up the above-ornament (pictured on our family tree). While there, I snapped this great panorama of the state capitol:

Kentucky State Capitol - Frankfort, Ky.
Kentucky State Capitol – Frankfort, Ky.
To All Kaintuckeeans… 
Merry Christmas!
(and Happy Holidays!)

KY360: Cheapside Park

I’ve profiled Cheapside Park, the old Courthouse, the John C. Breckinridge statue, the Fifth Third Bank pavilion, and other items before on #walkLEX. But I recently got a new iPhone app – Photosynth – and wanted to try it out (and probably use it often).

   


If you have an iPhone you should really consider getting this app — it’s free. Also,  let me know what you think!

walkLEX: Another Chapter Closing at Lexington’s Oldest Post Office

Metropol - Lexington, Ky.
Metropol at 307 West Short Street – Lexington, Ky.

Dr. John Shremly honored his uncle, Harry Schraemli, when he opened Metropol in 2000. This fine dining locale at 307 West Short Street has for eleven years offered delicious meals and fine drinks at its Harry’s Bar (named after Uncle Harry).

Schraemli, who passed in 1995, was renowned in Europe for his gastronomy. This master in the culinary world wrote numerous books and publications; his Meistermixer remains the “bartenders bible across Europe.” The European heritage of Metropol is easily visible from West Short as the building proudly displays the flags of France, Switzerland, Italy, and others alongside Old Glory.

307 W. Short St.
Bullock Collection

But the buildings themselves cannot be ignored as they have their own fantastic history. Constructed as a post office in 1836 (some records indicate construction occurred as early as 1825), 307 West Short is the oldest surviving post office in Lexington.

The first postmaster here, Joseph Ficklin, would later serve as counsel to Cuba under the nomination of President Polk. His “lively” house on High Street was home to Jefferson Davis during the future Confederate president’s years at Transylvania.

When the post office opened at West Short Street, the cost of postage was measured by the number of pages and the distance to be travelled. A three-page letter requiring a distance of 400 miles would cost 75¢ (in other words, in 175 years the cost of postage has decreased — no wonder the U.S. Postal Service is in trouble!). Of course, the cost may be attributed to the excellent customer service: the post office was then open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and for an additional hour each Sunday morning.

The structure itself is a simple, two-story antebellum commercial building. Originally, the first floor frontage was almost entirely windows, but an  unfortunate renovation in 1971 covered this frontage with brick veneer as well as covering the remainder of the building with aluminum.

Metropol - Lexington, Ky.In 2009, Schremly expanded Metropol to include the neighboring structure to the west. There, the Hotel Drake Annex completed this island in what has become a sea of parking lot. The Annex was built ca.  1901 in the Queen Anne style. The Drake Hotel converted the Annex into a “liquor dispensary” after Prohibition. In former versions, the West Short Street hotel – which spanned the length of the block’s now empty parking lot – operated as both the Ashland House and the Reed Hotel. It became the Hotel Drake in 1926 and it then became an “infamous hangout for bookies and prostitutes.”The Drake was torn down in 1962. Of it, only this Annex remains.

Metropol merged these two buildings into a sizable, beautiful restaurant. But this Friday, Metropol will close its doors. Be sure to stop by and say hello.

Sources: BGT file; Metropol; NRHP; Walking Tour Brochure

kernel: Shryock Family Legendary in Kentucky Architecture

Historic Marker - Lexington, Ky.
Historic Marker #945 – Lexington, Ky.

The historic marker on the campus of Transylvania University’s campus describes the “Architects Shryock” as the “best known surname in Kentucky architecture.” The historic marker, #945 reads:

Best known surname in Kentucky architecture is Shryock.” Family home, erected by Matthias Shryock (1774-1833), here. Designed first Episcopal church in city, 1814, and Mary Todd Lincoln home on W. Main. Son, Cincinnatus, born here, 1816. First Presbyterian Church, built 1872, considered his best. Also designed many homes. Died, 1888. Both buried in Lexington. Over.

(Reverse) Another Shryock – Gideon, “father of Greek revival movement in Ky. architecture,” was also Matthias’ son. Fine example of his classic style is Old State House, Frankfort, Ky., 1829. He also designed Morrison Hall on the Transylvania campus here, 1830, Jefferson County Courthouse in Louisville, Arkansas State Capitol, Little Rock, 1830’s. Born here, 1802; buried Louisville, 1880.

This incredible family forever left its mark on Lexington and the entire Commonwealth, leaving behind a legacy of beautiful structures that have endured the generations. Their skill also greatly contributed to Lexington receiving the moniker “Athens of the West.”

I’ve profiled several examples of the Shryocks’ work:

There are a number of other Shryock-designed structures I haven’t yet profiled, including patriarch Matthias’ Mary Todd Lincoln House in Lexington. Matthias, in total, had ten children before he succumbed to the 1833 cholera epidemic.

walkLEX: Bellini’s Anchors a Block of Restoration

Bellini's deTour - Lexington, Ky.
West Main Street (123; 119-115; 111-107; 105-101) – Lexington, Ky.
(The Same Block in April 2010 and circa 1920)

Opposite Centrepasture has again become one of downtown Lexington’s grandest blocks. The block’s renaissance kicked off when Bellini’s opened in 2003. Its owners have restored the first floor of 115-119 West Main, a structure designed in the Italianate style by local architect Cincinnatus Shryock in 1869. This five-bay, three-story structure appears sufficient in height to be five stories. It is, however, its third floor ballroom that makes the structure so unique.

Bellini's deTour - Lexington, Ky.Surrounded on two-stories, the Shryock-designed building has beautiful round-top windows that allow an incredible amount of light onto the third floor ballroom. What is now a tremendous asset for Bellini’s, but the space is a reminder of the building’s original purpose. Atop is a French Second Empire Mansard roof that is incredibly unique for the region.

The building was built by the Odd Fellows fraternity and stands as a symbol of the optimism experienced in Lexington immediately following the Civil War when citizen’s concerns went from conflict to prosperity and the arts. And although the era provided Lexington with another opportunity to return to its former status as an Athens of the West, that train had already moved on to the larger cities. Still, Cincinnatus Shryock created a multi-use masterpiece. Wrote the Gazette: it was “one of the handsomest buildings in the state. The Odd Fellows retained the whole third floor … which has been subdivided so as to suit their purposes, clearing one large hall which has been fitted up most sumptuously and with exquisite taste!”

Bellini's deTour - Lexington, Ky.The first floor, marked by cast iron Corinthian columns, contained two separate storefronts flanking a stairwell to the upper levels. Law offices occupied the second floor and, as noted, the Odd Fellows Lodge the third. Today, the second floor is half vacant and half apartments with Bellini’s hoping for the opportunity to add additional “large party” space on the second floor. The eastern front, 115 West Main, once housed Skuller’s Jewelry for the better portion of the 20th century. Although Skuller’s closed in 1984, its name remains as inlaid tile hidden just below the mat outside the front door.

Skuller's Clock - Lexington, Ky. Skuller's Clock - Lexington, Ky.

Skuller’s Clock, built by Pennsylvania’s Brown Street Clock Company, was removed as part of the Main Street beautification project with hopes of restoring it. At fourteen feet tall, the two-faced clocked atop a fluted iron column is a Lexington landmark in its own right. When it was removed last year, it was announced that the repair costs would be approximately $25,000. The clock remains mothballed, but to the left are pictures of how the streets cape has appeared over the years with the circa 1913 Skuller’s Clock.

Other buildings in this half of the West Main Street block (as pictured at top) are 123 West Main Street which had its façade completely restored to its 1920s appearance for the new nightclub, Trust. On the other side of Bellini’s is 107-111 West Main Street which also experienced a façade restoration in the past year. This building houses Sunrise Bakery and another Bellini’s banquet hall. At block’s end, 101-105 West Main Street has always maintained a unique façade with a fantastic terra cotta roof; it was announced earlier this week that the new owner, Dudley Webb, will restore this building as well.


This block of West Main Street contains a great concentration of historic buildings that together create a very interesting, wonderful streetscape with the Cincinnatus Shryock creation as its central masterpiece. 


Additional photos of the Blue Grass Trust deTour to Bellini’s are available on flickr. 

Sources: LHL; LHL; local.lexpublib.org; NRHP

kernel: More Kentucky Sites Make the National Register

Parkview Motel – Bardstown, Ky.
(Photo from NRHP Application)

The day after Thanksgiving, the National Register of Historic Places accepted three Kentucky sites from the thirteen recommended by the Kentucky Heritage Council (eight were accepted the previous week). This round of approvals includes a school in Covington, a historic district in Harrodsburg and another hotel/motel in Bardstown.

KENTON COUNTY (# 11000791)
LaSalette Academy,
702 Greenup St., Covington,  
MERCER COUNTY (# 11000795)
Lexington and Cane Run Historic District
E. Lexington & Cane Run Sts., Harrodsburg
NELSON COUNTY (# 11000798)
Kurtz Restaurant and Bardstown–Parkview Motel–Office,
418 E. Stephen Foster Ave., Bardstown

Also, on December 19, the Kentucky Historic Preservation Review Board will consider eight additional nominations for recommendation to the National Register. More information about these eight sites, which includes Lexington’s Leestown Road VA Hospital, is available on the Kentucky Heritage Council website.

NoD: UK Art Museum Can “See Blue”

UK Art Museum - Lexington, Ky.
Gallery at the UK Art Museum – Lexington, Ky.

If you are in any way affiliated or connected to the University of Kentucky, you are aware of their “see blue” campaign. Even if your only connection to UK is watching basketball games, you have undoubtedly seen the commercial which morphs the school, the city and the world blue. Well, in the words of Oscar Wilde, we are seeing “art imitate life” through an exhibit at the University of Kentucky Art Museum at the Singletary Center.

Through January 22, works from UK’s permanent collection have been turned into an exhibit centered on (you guessed it) blue. It has been many years since I last ventured into the UK Art Museum which is tucked in a corner of the Singletary Center for the Arts, but I recently ventured in for a holiday party.

Because of its hidden location, few know about the UK Art Museum. Even so, it has been part of the Singletary Center since the SCFA opened in 1979. (Note: The Singletary name was not applied until the late 1980s.) Over the past ten years, it has often been discussed that the Art Museum should take a more prominent role as a local attraction. Years ago, a move to the old courthouse on Main Street was contemplated.

UK Art Museum - Lexington, Ky.
Portrait of Daniel Boone
by John Wesley

The “See Blue”special collection contained a few great pieces that caught my eye. First and foremost is John Wesley’s Portrait of Daniel Boone, a 1962 modern twist on the 1852 famous engraving of Kentucky’s frontiersman. Wesley’s interpretation looked toward the legend of Boone, which he found to be an “outsized… one-dimensional caricature, a flat depiction drained of color.”

Wesley, born in California, is typically genred in the “pop art” category and is is best known for his appropriation of cartoons like Blondie and Popeye.

I agree with the Museum’s suggestion that “it is especially meaningfully to “see blue” in a portrait of Kentucky frontiersman Daniel Boone.”

UK Art Museum - Lexington, Ky.
UK Basketball Game Between
UK and St. Johns, December 17, 1977
by Leroy Neiman

Another “see blue” work which I noted was a Leroy Neiman oil depicting a 1977 basketball game between the UK Wildcats and St. John’s University. Of course, UK has recently played and handily beaten St. Johns which was a repeat of this 102-72 affair featuring Kentucky greats Jack Givens, James Lee, Kyle Macy, Mike Phillips and Rick Robey.

This oil was exquisite and the short brush strokes gave it a fervor that would have been present during the UKIT and throughout the season as our Cats would go on to a record of 30-2 and a National Championship (defeating Duke)  under the helm of Joe B. Hall.

Neiman’s work, primarily depicting scenes of sport and leisure, are well known to the American eye.

There are a multitude of other fantastic works in this collection and elsewhere in the museum. More information about the UK Art Museum can be found on its website, http://www.uky.edu/ArtMuseum/.

NoD: A Maysville Mansion, Phillips Folly

Maysville, KY
Phillips Folly – Maysville, Ky.

William B. Phillips began construction in 1825 of what was considered to be the largest home in Maysville. With twelve rooms, including six bedrooms, the home was built on a mortarless foundation – the condition of which continues to be examined for its quality. Without a doubt, Phillips was excited about his mansion; it is altogether likely that when the Marquis de Lafayette visited Maysville in 1825 that Phillips, who was in the receiving party, took the opportunity to show the Frenchman his plans. Yet, excitement is insufficient to bring about completion.

In 1828, the house was not completed and Phillips had insufficient funds to finish. Townspeople referred to the property as “Phillips’ Folly” for he had built beyond his means a home too grand. Without a word, Phillips left Maysville only to return two years later having won sufficient monies while gambling in New Orleans to finish his home. The house was finally completed in 1831 and is an amalgam of several architectural styles: a Federal façade, a Georgian two-story portico, stepped parapets in the “Dutch” or German tradition, windows attributed to the Greek Revivalist style and other qualities introduced after Phillips’ years in New Orleans.

When the cholera epidemic of 1833 swept through the region, it took with it the first mayor of the Maysville; Phillips was chosen to become the second mayor of Maysville. In 1838, Phillips’ sold his “folly” to John Armstrong who died in the home in 1851. It is said that his ghost, and that of his laborador, still haunt the Sutton Street mansion.

Maysville, KYArmstrong’s son, Francis Armstrong, acquired the property after his father died. Francis was believed to have been an operative on the underground railroad. In a house where basement wooden cell likely originally held captive slaves, the mansion became a symbol of freedom as the last stop for the weary before crossing the Ohio River into freedom. A tunnel from the home to the river would have brought the slaves to a small dinghy in which to cross the river.

During occupancy by the Finch family from 1890 to 1894, a man named Pearce visited the house and is said to have committed suicide there. Others, however, have suggested that suicide was simply a cover for Pearce’s death: he had been killed in a duel at a time when dueling had been made illegal in the Commonwealth. Those who have seen his apparition have also heard the formalities of dueling in the back stairs.

After the Fitch family left, Dr. John Reed moved his family from the small Mason County hamlet of Minerva to Phillips Folly in  1894. Dr. Reed established a medical practice in the basement. His son, Stanley, was ten years old when the family moved in; young Stanley would leave for school eight years later and would eventually be appointed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court.

With all its history, Phillips Folly is open for tours particularly because of its role as a station on the Underground Railroad.

Sources:
Maysville Online; NRHP; Precious Times; Wikipedia