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Bond House at 209/211 North Limestone Street – Lexington, Ky.

Nestled between Columbia’s Steakhouse and the Lexington Beerworks sits the Bond House. Of Georgian Revival design, it was constructed in 1909 by owner C.E. Bond of Lawrenceburg with architectural design being possibly attributed to John V. Moore. In the early twentieth century, Mr. Bond acquired several landholdings in Lexington including this parcel as well as parcels on both East and West Main Street. Like many of the buildings in the area, the Bond House typifies urban mixed-use architecture with first-floor commercial and upper-story residential occupancies.

Bond was well-known in his Lawrenceburg home as he was a builder and the president of the Lawrenceburg National Bank. The third Anderson County Courthouse, built in 1861, was remodeled in 1905 by Bond; it, however, burned to the ground in 1915. The fourth and present Anderson County Courthouse was constructed using stones from the earlier courthouse. C.E. Bond sold this Lexington parcel in 1913 to brothers James E. and John P. Slavin.

As is often the case, little is known of James E. Slavin. But I discovered a most emotional tale when querying John P. Slavin.

In January 1906, “combined fortune and misfortune of death, a joy mingled with grief, fell upon the home of Fireman John P. Slavin and wife Saturday. During the early morning hours Mrs. Slavin gave birth to a fine boy, but Friday afternoon their son, Thomas Lyons Slavin, aged five years, died.” Lexington Leader, Jan. 7, 1906 (sec. 2, p. 7 col. 4). It was scarlet fever that had taken the life of the young five year old. Then on January 16, 1906, this was printed in the Lexington Herald: “John Joseph Slavin, infant son of Fireman J.P. Slavin, died at the home of Mr. Slavin on Georgetown street, Sunday night at 9:30 o’clock. This is the second death in Mr. Slavin’s family in the last ten days, he having lost his five-year-old son Wednesday a week ago.”

What a tragedy. I cannot imagine the grief that family suffered. This story reminded me of the humanity and the importance of the owners, common or otherwise, of the buildings that I’ve profiled on this site.

“The Bond House” ca. 1920/21. Photo: Asa Chinn (KDL)

With prohibition repealed at the end of 1933 by virtue of the 21st amendment, the Bond House became a storeroom for the Kentucky Distillers’ Products, Inc. On a Tuesday night in April 1935, eighty-eight cases of whiskey were stolen from the storeroom at 211 North Limestone Street. The loss was valued at $2,000 according to a police report.

In 1983, the Bond House was added to the National Register of Historic Places by virtue of its location in the North Limestone Commercial District. Proudly, the owners bear signage indicating both its National Register and Blue Grass Trust listings.

A half million dollar renovation in 1988 converted what was then a fireworks store and warehouse back to its mixed-use origins: four loft apartments and two commercial first-floor enterprises. Today, children’s boutique clothier Bella Bliss calls the Bond House home. Interestingtly, it was a clothier (V.L. Lingenfelter’s) that was housed in 209 North Limestone when Asa Chinn took the photo above.

Sources: Blue Grass Trust; local.lexpublib.org; National Register; Slavens.net

Lexington Beerworks (213 North Limestone) – Lexington, Ky.

Central Kentucky is quickly advancing its stature in the beer community. Danville has become a local leader on the craft brew scene and Lexington’s scene is improving on almost a daily basis.

Recently, Lexington Beerworks opened at 213 North Limestone – it is simply “the best place to be for craft beer lovers and brewers.” They have what may be an almost infinite selection of bottled beer and a rotating draft list that features the best beers from across Kentucky and around the world. On my first visit, I got my first taste of Danville’s Lore Brewing Company. Lore’s Winter Coatmeal Stout was rich and dark with a strong oaty aftertaste – quite good! The Lexington Beerworks keeps its followers on both twitter and facebook up-to-date with what is on tap.

Embracing social media and good beer aren’t the only things that Lexington Beerworks is up to. They also know how to pick a great, historic location. Built in 1905, the two-story 213 North Limestone has cast iron columns and rough stone lintel and metal cornices that hearken to the earliest days of the building.

In those earliest days, the building housed the Lexington Ice Cream Company which appears to have been the first such creamery in Lexington. Organized in November 1906 by A. L. Calhoun and others, it quickly became popular. By the summer of 1907, Mr. Calhoun had “built up a good business” and sold it to a H. T. Muir. Muir, a “prominent farm residing on the Richmond pike,” operated the ice creamery under the name Muir & Son so that his son, Chester, might become involved in business.

It would be in August of the following year, 1908, that “while engaged in selling cream in his concessionaire tent at the Colored Fair ground” that Henry T. Muier would be “seized with heart disease and drop dead.” By October, Mr. Muir’s estate would sell at public auction the ice cream and dairy plant to W. I. Hughes. Hughes was quite the entrepreneur with interests throughout downtown Lexington in cafes, confectionaries, creameries and more. He and his sweet tooth also represented Lexington in the state legislature and served on the city’s commission.

At some point, the ice cream business departed 213 North Limestone. In 1920, the building was occupied by a plumbing company. Restored in 1996, 213 North Limestone housed the Limestone Club until it closed in 2011. The Limestone Club was a small boutique ballroom that provided a terrific venue with its open space and wonderful “southern” two-story porch. The location (and the porch) were the perfect match for the beer trio Greg, Mike and Jason (the proprietors of Lexington Beerworks). If you like beer, you definitely must head over to Lexington Beerworks (213 North Limestone, Lexington).