Sayre School: An Institution of the “Widest Range and Highest Order”

Sayre School – Lexington, Ky.
(R: David A. Sayre, headmaster’s office, Spartans colored stairs)

David A. Sayre was a wealth silversmith from New Jersey who arrived in Lexington in 1811. By the end of the following decade, he had completely abandoned the trade in favor of commercial banking which had become a staple of the economy. With success, he quickly became one of Lexington’s most affluent denizens.

With his success, he contributed greatly to a number of philanthropic efforts. On November 1, 1854, Sayre founded the Transylvania Female Academy. Within a year, the school was renamed for its founder and benefactor as the Sayre Female Institute. The school began to admit boys in 1876 and finally dropping the gender-specific name in 1942.

During almost this entire history, Sayre School has operated at the same location: 194 North Limestone, now affectionately referred to as “Old Sayre.” (That brief interim as the Transylvania Female Academy found the school seated at the northwest corner of Church and Mill Streets.)

Old Sayre was constructed in 1846 as a two story, three-bay Greek Revival designed by local architect Thomas Lewinski as the home of Edward P. Johnson. Johnson lived here until 1855 when he sold the property to Sayre. By the end of the decade, two additional floors had been added to Old Sayre with the alterations being designed by architect John McMurtry.

View of downtown Lexington from atop the
cupola of Old Sayre.

With the alterations, Old Sayre has assumed features of the Italianate style. On all four floors, the windows in the three bays are triple-section with the garret’s central window featuring a palladium window. Leading up to Old Sayre’s central architectural feature are a narrow set of stairs painted yellow and blue – the school colors. That signature feature is the square cupola topping Old Sayre, also having three windows on each side.

Given Sayre’s location just north of the downtown commercial district, the cupola offers sweeping views of downtown.

The property is seated on what was once Outlot No. 11 in the earliest of Lexington’s plans laid out in 1791. On this five acre tract and in the footprint of Old Sayre, Colonel George Nicholas constructed his home. Nicholas was, among other accolades and accomplishments, a prominent lawyer, Revolutionary War veteran, father of Kentucky’s Constitution, and the first attorney general of Kentucky. (Read more about Col. Nicholas here.)

Nicholas died in 1799 and is buried in the Old Episcopal Burying Grounds, the property was sold in 1806 to Thomas Hart, Jr. “who had a rope walk on the rear of the property.” (It is questionable whether the rope walk would today be considered an amusement ride and not permitted under present zoning law.) Hart’s family sold the land to Johnson who demolished the Nicholas home in favor of the two-story, supra.

David Sayre sought the formation of the school to provide an education of the “widest range and highest order.” Having survived through both the Civil War and the Great Depression, Sayre continues to provide such an education to her pupils.

Additional photos of the Sayre School deTour are available on flickr.

Sources: Lexington: Heart of the Bluegrass; NRHP; Sayre School


The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation hosts a monthly deTour for young professionals (and the young-at-heart). The group meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. Learn more details about this exciting group on Facebook! You can also see Kaintuckeean write-ups on previous deTours by clicking here.

Fifty Steps to the Entrance of First Baptist Church

The First Baptist Church – Lexington, Ky.

Across Main Street from Rupp Arena, fifty stone steps climb over five landings to reach the sanctuary entrance of the circa 1913 First Baptist Church. The impressive structure is a Lexington landmark in part because of its prominent Main Street location and in part because of its architectural grandeur. The massive clock tower and red tile roof mark this iconic location.

Three former Baptist churches occupied the site, as did Lexington’s earliest burying ground. In fact, it was here that King Solomon buried the dead from the 1833 cholera epidemic. A decade and a half later, most of the bodies were relocated to the newly organized Lexington Cemetery.

Two of the old Baptist churches burned on the site, while the third was simply outgrown.  When the extant structure was erected at a cost of approximately $125,000, it was built of Bedford limestone (Indiana) in the Collegiate Gothic style. Though the style is not often displayed in Lexington, it is commonly seen at the Ivy Leagues schools and at universities across the country.

First Baptist Church;
ca. 1975 (Source: NRHP)

It is an impressive architectural style, made ecclesiastical at First Baptist through the repeated use of the quatrefoil, cross and other religious symbols in the exterior’s decorative stonework.

Entrance to the sanctuary is through a deeply recessed bay which had been closed in recent years because of structural concerns. Work on maintaining First Baptist has been a struggle as what was once one of the South’s largest Baptist congregations has drastically dwindled in number. With limited attendance comes limited tithe and offering, and the church building suffers.

All is not lost, however, as a handful of congregations now pool resources to call the First Baptist Church home. Each attempts to do its part in maintaining this magnificent piece of history.

Originally meeting in the homes of members as the Town Fork (or Town Branch) Baptist Church, it associated with the Elkhorn Association on August 15, 1786. Lewis Craig (brother to Elijah Craig) was involved in the establishment of Town Branch giving to First Baptist a hand on the legacy of the Traveling Church.

Rev. John Gano was called in 1789 to the newly erected meetinghouse on the site. He had been a chaplain in the Continental Army having served throughout the long winter at Valley Forge.

A division arose in the church in 1826 when the influence of Alexander Campbell and the Restoration Movement brought Dr. James Fishback to introduce a resolution to change the church from Baptist to “Church of Christ.” The resolution was lost, so Fishback and his supporters departed First Baptist to organize the “Church of Christ on Mill Street” of which Central Christian Church is the eventual, albeit indirect descendent.

Inside, the first time visitor is overcome by the enormity of the cruciform shaped sanctuary. Anchored at front by pulpit and a choir balcony that also features an impressive pipe organ, the 1500-seat sanctuary features three additional balconies so that there is one on each wall. The pews and brass cluster chandeliers, all original.

It is, however, the “wide-grained chestnut timberwork over-arching the auditorium” that takes one’s breath away. Corbels at the base of each three-foot thick rib feature “intricately carved angels” while “horizontal bands of acanthus, leaves and acorns” adorn panelling above the pulpit.

And in case one is not sufficiently taken aback, five large stain-glass windows adorn. The space is one most Holy, Holy, Holy.

I visited First Baptist during a concert by the Lexington Area Music Alliance, LAMA. The concert was profiled yesterday and is available by clicking here.


Additional photographs of First Baptist Church and the LAMA concert are available on flickr.

Sources: Baptist History Homepage; Mickey Anders; NRHP (Historic Western Suburb); Historic Western Suburb NA; Tom Eblen

Beautiful Sounds in a Spectacular Venue: “Music in the Church” at Lexington’s First Baptist Church

Patrick McNeese Band (upper right);
Chris Weiss (lower left)

Last year, Lexington experienced her hottest Independence Day on record. This year’s holiday was hardly 99 degrees – instead the constant rain kept it a wee bit chilly.

Crowds were down and many vendors failed to appear. It may have been the quietest Fourth of July in Lexington’s recent memory.
But it was not silent inside the historic First Baptist Church.
Inside, a concert organized by the Lexington Area Music Alliance (LAMA) featured the sounds of the Patrick McNeese Band as well as those of Chris Weiss. Apparently, LAMA was using the event to test out the acoustics of the ca. 1913 sanctuary as part of a new series, “Music in the Church.”

LAMA is an origination committed to the support and economic vibrancy of local musicians. The artists performing were as spectacular as the venue.

The Patrick McNeese Band had a great sound. Easy listening with a jazzy edge and a bite of Bluegrass.  McNeese writes the band’s music while playing the guitar and providing vocal. Other band members include Maggie Lander (vocal/violin), Tom Martin (ivories), Scott Stoess (bass), and Tripp Bratton (percussion).

Cave Run Lake – Rowan Co., Ky.

Solo guitarist Chris Weiss’ music has many of those same coffee shop, easy listening sounds affected by the regional influences of Appalachia. Basically, my kind of music. One song in particular I really enjoyed. Chris said he wrote it while on a boat on Cave Run Lake. While he played, I pulled up this post on Cave Run Lake and imagined myself their again as I looked at the beautiful Rowan County scenery. It took me back.

The whole concert was awesome. In fact, I came to take advantage of the opportunity to visit First Baptist Church. Yet, I remained for the two hour concert.

Great music and I hope the ‘Music in the Church’ series is a big hit.

The venue for the concert, First Baptist Church in Lexington, is profiled here.

This Just Happened, a weekly roundup (endless rain edition)

Photo: Colby Davis / @ResCADcue

Will it stop raining? We seem to have the occasional reprieve. You probably saw eight thousand photos of the double rainbow yesterday evening. Here’s the perspective of Colby Davis (Twitter @ResCADcue) at the Bourbon County Courthouse.

Red, white and blue lights illuminated the newly reopened Helix parking garage in downtown Lexington. Looks pretty cool. Parking tickets must have generated a ton of revenue! [Herald-Leader]

Before the Fourth, the Herald-Leader assembled a list of 10 reasons to celebrate the Bluegrass State. [Herald-Leader]

Nicholasville contemplates a H-1 zoning overlay for its downtown core. [Jessamine Journal]

Express yourself and give your two cents on the rehab of Rupp Arena. [KentuckySportsRadio]

A beautification is in progress for Somerset’s Fountain Square. [Commonwealth Journal]

A look inside Blue Stallion Brewing which should open very soon. [ACE Weekly]

The centennial of Cathedral Domain in Lee County [Herald-Leader]

Some creeping vines require volunteers to clean up Louisville’s Cherokee Park. [Courier-Journal]

A new history book is out on the Battle of Mill Springs. [amazon.com]

Celebrate Liberty & Equality on the “Glorious Birthday of Our Freedom”

Fourth of July Parade in Lexington, Ky. (2010)

On the Fourth of July, we commemorate the Declaration of Independence, having been adopted “in Congress on July 4, 1776.” Americans celebrated immediately and the holiday’s import was recognized from 1777 onward.

In 1794, the first known celebration of Independence Day occurred in Kentucky. In fact, it was near Clear Creek Road in what is now Jessamine County. A historic marker marks the location where forty veterans of the Revolution gathered to celebrate at the farm of Colonel William Price.

They undoubtedly spent that eighteenth Independence Day recalling their experiences at Yorktown, Valley Forge, Blue Licks, and Brandywine. These men, veterans and Kentucky pioneers alike, swapped tales as they ate and drank with one another.

In summing up the event in a letter to Gov. Isaac Shelby, Price described the occasion as being “a glorious time and a big dinner … a sight to behold.” Of the occasion, Price wrote of it being the “glorious birthday of our freedom.”

Many in Jessamine County will gather for the parade in Wilmore before viewing the fireworks o’er Nicholasville. Others, myself included, will venture to Lexington to share in their festivities.

On July 3, my preference is to attend the patriotic concert held at Gratz Park in downtown Lexington. There, the Lexington Philharmonic and the Lexington Singers perform to the patriotic tunes of Sousa and others. The sounds fill the air in a great revelry of celebration and one’s chest can palpitate with the beat of patriotism through music.

The next day, the Fourth of July, I return to Lexington in time to hear ordinary citizens line up. Together, they read the entirety of the Declaration of Independence with each person reading only a phrase or sentence. The queue is a cross-section of society with individuals of different sexes, races, orientations, economic conditions, and religious and political beliefs standing side by side.

Each enthusiastically speaks from that document which proclaimed “that all men are created equal.”

It is a powerful moment as the words read by so many different individuals come together to form that great text upon which our great Nation is founded.

E pluribus unum.

Out of many, One.

Throughout America’s history, we have interpreted the concept of equality differently. Blacks were once slaves and Native Americans were forcibly relocated from their tribal lands. Women were considered personal property.

And yet, even now, the law does not provide all Americans with equal protection. And so, we must continue to commit ourselves toward that self-evident truth.

As we celebrate together that “glorious birthday of our freedom,” let us lay down that which divides us and celebrate this great experiment of Democracy.

Happy Birthday, America!

This column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal. 
It should not be republished without permission.

This Just Happened, a weekly roundup (Almost Independence Day)

Fireworks over Lexington

Central Kentucky’s Fourth of July Celebrations are awesome. Celebrate!! [H-L]


Best road-trip in America is Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail. [USA Today]


Louisville eyes expanding along Ohio River waterfront with a Waterfront West Park [Courier-Journal]

Preservation effort at Choctaw Indian Academy in Scott County? [facebook]

Idea on replacing Lexington’s aging senior citizen center includes YMCA proposal to partner for each of its four locations [Herald-Leader]

Northern Kentucky TIF projects [NKY.com]

The Kentucky Historical Society and the Smithsonian soon to be affiliates. [H-L]

Incredible opportunity to see collection of baroque and classical paintings in Lexington at UK Art Museum [H-L]

LexTran plots a new headquarters, abandoning ca. 1928 Loudon Street HQ. [LEX18]

Coca-Cola is sponsoring America’s Favorite Park contest with up to $100,000 in money going to the victors in the online poll. So, go support Kentucky State Parks (or your favorite other Kentucky park) [KYForward]

A 100+ year old Cynthiana restaurant went up in flames; two of three stories of historic building destroyed. [Cynthiana Democrat]

Francophiles rejoice and bonjour to La Petite Creperie, opening a brick-and-mortar near Woodland Park in Lexington. [BizLex]

Nicholasville Road traffic to worsen with new mega-development. [H-L]

UPDATE: Valley View Ferry Authority has hired a new captain to replace the retiring one. Once training is complete, normal operating hours for the Valley View Ferry will resume. [Jessamine Journal]

Like a Good Neighbor, Chicken’s Are There

Source: SMcGarnigle (flickr)

Nicholasville’s chicken keeping ordinance has been ruled too vague and a rewrite of the law is coming.

As it stands, “the keeping of any yard or pen for … chickens … in the city in such manner as to become offensive to any person residing in the vicinity, or annoying to the public, shall constitute a nuisance and is hereby prohibited.”

OK, I can see how this may be lacking in specifics.

So, too, does Jeremy Porter. He is the programs director of Seedleaf and an organizer with CLUCK!

Lexington. Porter owns a flock of 13 hens at his home in Lexington’s Castlewood neighborhood. Through both Seedleaf and CLUCK!, he helps educate others about urban farming and creating über-local food options.

Nothing is more local than your own backyard.

That is why urban chicken keeping is a good idea — it provides fresh eggs to families and educational opportunities for sustainability for our children (and adults, too). Done right, chicken keeping can help improve neighborliness if the practice is done responsibly.

Neighborliness and responsibility. Those are two words which Porter focused on and the concepts are inseparable. Porter describes the ordinances addressing chicken keeping as being “good neighbor” ordinances.

Lexington ordinances prohibit the dying of chickens, regulate the number of baby chicks which may be sold in a transaction, and focus on the noise, odor, disturbance, and general care of fowl.

Lexington’s laws provide for the animal’s safety and health, an immediate concern for anyone who owns and cares for their pets. A well-maintained coop, appropriately sized for the number of birds, will not create odor issues. And not keeping roosters generally resolves any noise issues.

Porter believes that “if people can be good neighbors by being responsible chicken keepers, then they don’t have to worry about disturbing their neighbors.” It all sort of goes back to being a good neighbor and following the Golden Rule.

In Nicholasville, neighbors and even annoyed members of the public can complain to law enforcement under the existing chicken ordinance. Fortunately, this vague ordinance hasn’t become burdensome for those charged with enforcing it.

But as we examine a replacement scheme, we should be careful in the process. Nashville, Tenn. recently overhauled its laws establishing a series of ordinances that is too restrictive; overly complicated, their ordinances would seem ill-suite for a town of Nicholasville’s size.

Frankfort is contemplating a change to loosen its ordinances, currently viewed as being too restrictive for urban chicken keepers.

It would appear that Lexington’s set of ordinances would be a good template for Nicholasville as they establish an enforcement mechanism while allowing vibrant, healthy chicken keeping at home.

Perhaps adoption of Lexington’s system of incrementally increasing fines for violations of the chicken keeping ordinances would be appropriate for Lexington. From the perspective of Porter and other responsible urban chicken farmers, Lexington’s ordinances are very workable.

Ultimately, it is critical is that we do not eliminate the opportunity to have a backyard chicken.

The production of food at-home is a terrific educational tool for the family and community, improves our land and the environment while improving our diets and fighting obesity.

Responsible chicken farming accomplishes these goals and should not be prohibited.

This column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal. 
It should not be republished without permission.

Ask Yourself: Do We Support Small Businesses? #BuyLocal

“If you build it, they will come.”

The old adage was to apply to Nicholasville’s streetscape revitalization project.

The streetscape project, which began in September 2010, affected Main Street from Oak to Chestnut streets. It was completed two years after it began, having exceeded both the budget and the timeline.

The empty storefronts, however, remain. We’d hoped these would be filled in a post-streetscape downtown revitalization.

A gem was Main & Maple, a coffee shop and café located in the old Hemphill Pharmacy building. A decent meal and a good cup of coffee made this a destination. A few nights a week, live music would beckon a crowd to the business. The location and character gave Nicholasvillians a gathering place. Though it experienced other issues (all businesses do, especially in the overall economic climate of the day), it was the streetscape improvement project that seemed to sound the death knell for Main & Maple.

Today, that storefront remains vacant.

In fact, it would seem that too much of our community’s “heart” bears either a “for rent” or a “for sale” sign.

What happened to “if you build it, they will come?”

Finish reading my column from last week’s Jessamine Journal by clicking here.

This column originally appeared in the Jessamine Journal. 
It should not be republished without permission.

Heavy Rains Flood Lexington … Again #TBT

Last night, flash flooding throughout Lexington created havoc for motorists and, undoubtedly, we’ll hear more details throughout the day.

But eighty-five years ago this week, another deluge hit Lexington as captured by the photo above. According to the Lexington Herald (6-30-1928, p. 1, col. 5.), it was “the most disastrous flood in the history of … Lexington … leaving in its wake a loss estimated at more than $1,000,000.” In 2010 dollars, the total economic cost of that damage would have been $149,000,000. Wowsers!

Anyone recognize the building above that was inundated by the flood?

2013 BGT Preservation Award Recipients Include the Kaintuckeean!

We won!! I’m honored to have received the Lucy Graves Advocacy Award yesterday evening at The Blue Grass Trust’s Annual Preservation Awards Dinner!

The full list of recipients follows:

Preservation Craftsman Awards: Given to a building industry craftsman who has exhibited a strong commitment to quality craftsmanship for historic buildings.
To: George Neel; Prajna Design (Garry Murphy and David Wittmer)

Public Service to Preservation Awards: Given to a government agency or official for service to preservation movement or to a specific project.
To: Dr. Derek Paulsen, LFCUG Commissioner of Planning; Janet Graham, LFUCG Commissioner of Law.

Clay Lancaster Heritage Education Award: Given to an individual or group for service in researching and disseminating information about the Central Kentucky region.
To: Bluegrass Renaissance: The History and Culture of Central Kentucky, 1792-1852; accepting: Daniel Rowland and James Klotter, editors, and the essayists

Community Preservation Award: Given to a non-governmental organization or individual for service to the preservation movement or to a specific project.
To: North Limestone Neighborhood Association.

Barbara Hulette Award: For efforts in the preservation of central Kentucky’s history, heritage, built environment, landscape, archaeological resources, sense of community or significant endeavors. To: Ashland Park Neighborhood Association; accepting: Rev. Bob Sessum, Wanda Jaquith, Tony Chamblin

Lucy Shropshire Crump Award: Given to an individual who has provided exemplary service to the Blue Grass Trust throughout the year.
To: Estill Curtis Pennington

Lucy Graves Advocacy Award: Given to an individual or group that has exhibited advocacy leadership in supporting the historic preservation movement in central Kentucky.
To: Peter Brackney for Kaintuckeean blog

Betty Hoopes Volunteer Service Award: Given to a volunteer from the Antiques and Garden Show Committee.
To: Brenda Pettit

Clyde Reynolds Carpenter Adaptive Re-use Award: Given to an individual or group for outstanding efforts towards the rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of a building or buildings within Central Kentucky.
To: The Bread Box; accepting: Ben Self, Brady Barlow and Joe Kuosman

Landscape Preservation Awards: This new award is given to an individual or group for the preservation, design, stewardship, restoration or enhancement of an historic cultural landscape in the Bluegrass.
To: Vaucluse (Clay Hancock); Botherum (Jon Carloftis and Dale Fisher); The Garden of Dorothy Crutcher Cordray (Joseph Hillenmeyer Garden Design)

John Wesley Hunt Award: Given to an individual for lifetime service to the preservation movement in Central Kentucky.
To: H. Foster Pettit


Congratulations to all these great recipients!