Campbell – The Kaintuckeean

6 Kentucky Sites Listed on National Register of Historic Places

On March 17, 2015, the Secretary of the Interior approved the inclusion of 6 Kentucky properties into the National Register of Historic Places. The properties are located in Campbell, Jefferson, Kenton, and Pike Counties and represent Kentucky’s manufacturing, residential, entertainment, and educational past.

These six sites were previously profiled here and here. And you can read more about the National Register of Historic Places here.

Marianne Theatre

Marianne Theatre Marquee. NRHP Application.

This Bellevue, Kentucky, theatre was designed by Registered Architect Paul B. Kiel in 1941 in the Art Deco and Moderne Style. It was built by owner-manager Peter L. Smith in 1942 in the center of the 600 block of Fairfield Avenue in Bellevue, Kentucky. Already on the National Register as part of the Fairfield Avenue Historic District, the property is being indvididually listed to draw additional attention to it.

There once were over 60 neighborhood theaters in northern Kentucky and the Marianne was one of the finest.

Charles Young Park and Community Center

Charles Young Center. NRHP Application.

Across the street from Lexington’s Isaac Murphy Memorial Garden stands the Charles Young Park and Community Center. This part of Lexington’s East End is undergoing a renaissance and the Charles Young facilities stand to be a landmark in this change.

The park has been owned by the city since 1930 and the one-story brick veneered side-gable community center is an icon of Third Street. During Jim Crow-era Kentucky, segregation dictated separate community facilities for blacks. According to the nomination, the “Charles Young Park provides an important physical and spatial indication of the existence of the East End community, and the importance that a public place holds for any community— for recreation and civic gathering.”

Lynn Acres Garden Apartments

Circa 1950 Aerial of Lynn Acres. NRHP Application.

The 66 two-story apartment buildings in Louisville’s southside were constructed between 1947 and 1950. The complex includes a variety of 12-, 8-, and 4-plex units with greenspace behind each structure intended for children’s play but which is now used by many residents for gardening.

The brick construction and side-gabled roofs had architectural attention in their design – a rarity in today’s residential apartment design. But perhaps the layout of the buildings deserves the most attention as the green space between them and the connected streets are key to good community design.

Louisville, Gas & Electric Co. Service Station Complex

LG&E Service Station Complex. NRHP Application.

Also known as the Edison Building, this gas and electrical service station was constructed ca. 1924. It stands on a 4+ acre lot at Louisville’s 7th and Ormsby, and all of the acreage is included in the nomination. Even before 1924, the site’s utility was related to generating power.

The main structure is cube-shaped and constructed primarily of poured cement. The south façade is the most decorated of the four sides and it is divided into 9 bays. The three-story structure was built with the potential of expansion to 8-stories, but demand was never realized for the additional square footage. A red brick gate house, ca. 1890, also stands on the property.

Hellman Lumber and Manufacturing Co.

Hellman Lumber. NRHP Application.

On Covington’s 12th Street, stands the Hellman Lumber and Manufacturing Co. This warehouse was built from 1886-1894 and the company is one of the community’s oldest businesses dating to 1879. Without a doubt, many of Covington’s structures have been built with wood that has passed through this facility.

The nomination form describes the main warehouse as “an intact two-story two-bay side-gabled brick warehouse-style corner commercial building that is approximately 14,000-16,000 square feet. The original foundation is wet-masonry limestone.” The building and its story represent an intact representation of the era’s booming lumber industry.

Elkhorn City Elementary and High Schools

Elkhorn City High School. NRHP Application.

Near the heart of Elkhorn City are its schools with the complex (6.8 acres) including 6 structures, of which 3 are contributing to the historic character: a 1938 WPA high school, a 1956 elementary school, and a 1956 music instruction building.

Elkhorn City lies in Pike County about 20 miles from the seat of Pikeville. During the academic life of these buildings as academic facilities, 1938 to the 1980s, the manpower required for coal mining increasingly declined even when demand was high due to mechanization of the process. The nomination form provides that “These facilities demonstrate a continual dedication to public education within this rural Kentucky community. Their existence displays a successful development from rural school facilities into a modernized educational system.”

Re-invisioning the area around Newport, Kentucky’s World Peace Bell

World Peace Bell – Newport, Kentucky Author’s Collection.

In downtown Newport, Kentucky is the landmark World Peace Bell. At 12 feet in both height and diameter, as well as a weight of 66,000 pounds, it is the largest freestanding bell in the world.

(With clapper and support, the bell rings in at nearly 90,000 pounds).

The bell was was originally proposed as the Millennium Bell and was to be the largest in a massive carillon within the unbuilt Millennium Freedom Tower complex. That complex, as noted in an earlier article, was scrapped but the Bell persisted and rings daily at 11:55 a.m. The unique ring-time is so that the bell is easily differentiated from the sounds of the bells in the nearby courthouse and churches.

The bell, and the accompanying museum, are great sites in downtown Newport, Kentucky. But they disappointingly sit at one end of a big ol’ parking lot. (On the site once stood the old Newport Finance Building which was demolished for that unbuilt Freedom Tower.) There is also a lovely memorial (even closer to the parking lot) to the fallen firefighters of northern Kentucky.

The bell was installed to ring in the New Year 2000 and the firefighters memorial was erected a few years later. Economic downturns intervened and these terrific community assets have languished at the edge of a parking lot.

But all that could change…

Rendering by Rachel Compte of proposed use. Can You Picture It, Newport?

A group of citizens envisions this space as being a central park for Newport. Drawings, including the one featured above, are available on the aspirational and uber-local urban design site Can You Picture It, Newport?.

The artist pictures the space being a community space that could host a weekly farmers market, movie nights, and yoga. These community proponents laud the installation of both the fire fighters memorial and the World Peace Bell and desire “to make the setting worthy of what [those symbols] represent.”

Can You Picture It, Newport? offers a disclaimer called “reality check,” too. Fully acknowledged are the limitations: the property is privately owned. A recent article in the Enquirer notes that neither the city nor the owner are actively looking to develop the property (in this way).

But it is nice to citizens sketch and dream about making their community a better place. Hopefully, some of those dreams can be made reality. After all, I couldn’t agree more that both the fire fighters memorial and the World Peace Bell deserve a worthy setting.

Millennium Freedom Tower 2000 in Newport, Kentucky

Rendering of Millennium Freedom Tower 2000 in Newport, Ky. Developer via various websites.

Some of the most ostentatious construction projects are proposed, but never get off the ground. Work may begin, but projects languish unfinished for a variety of reasons.

In Newport, Kentucky, a 1997 proposal would have resulted in the construction of Kentucky’s tallest building (taller structures, however, would still have existed). The proposed Millennium Freedom Tower 2000 was the brainchild of two northern Kentucky businessmen.

The Freedom Tower would have been 1,083 feet tall and would have then been the world’s 11th tallest building (if it had been built, the Freedom Tower in Newport would today be only the 57th tallest structure in the world). Some commentary on the Freedom Tower places the building’s height in excess of 1,200 feet.

The proposal would have resulted in the building’s completion in time for the new millennium on December 31, 1999. Two thousand bells (corporate sponsored) would have helped to ring in the year 2000. A single bell that was the world’s largest swinging bell from 2000 to 2006, the World Peace Bell, was a completed part of the project and that bell occupies part of the site in Newport where Freedom Tower was to be built.

The Freedom Tower was projected to cost between $75-100 million. In 1996, the same developers proposed a less impressive 650-foot structure was proposed closer to the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers, but soil instability foiled that plan. Local business and government leaders of the day seemed to favor the second, larger proposal.

Then Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau president Mike Rozow remarked that “St. Louis has their Arch and New York has their Statue of Liberty. Maybe this will be Northern Kentucky’s signature place.”

1910 Sanborn Map of the 2.33 acre block. UK Libraries.

The proposal called for a seasonal ice rink underneath along with shops and a museum complex with thrill rides above (think: Disney’s Tower of Terror). A restaurant/bar was proposed at 550-feet and it was envisioned that a television or radio company might locate its headquarters high above the community it covered. It could have been a “signature place” for northern Kentucky.

Campbell Towers. Kenton Co. Public Library &
Old Photos of Newport

Of course, the proposal required the razing of a block in central Newport (though some of the block had been previously demolished). A quick study shows that the most significant structure on the block, before the anticipated Freedom Tower project, was the Campbell Towers.

Campbell Towers was northern Kentucky’s first skyscraper, built in 1927. The 7-story structure was originally called the Newport Finance Building and it was adorned inside and out with brass fittings, marble and terra cotta tiles even upon its implosion in 1999.

Also demolished to make way for the project (and the World Peace Bell) was the old headquarters for the Newport fire department which served the city from 1934-1997.

I’m not sure exactly why the Freedom Tower was never constructed, though it seems to have run into a myriad of issues that thwarted its projected completion in time for the new millennia. If you know more about this project, please share in the comments below!

As with many major infill projects, a community’s historic fabric is lost. The impact of this loss is lessened when the resulting project brings new significance to a community along with economic vitality. Too often, proposed projects receive the green light for demolition despite being either viable or ready-to-go. These are the unBuilt projects that leave gaping holes in the communities in which they were to be built.

6 Sites Recommended for the National Register (part 1)

Marianne Theatre (Bellevue), Lynn Acres Apartments (Louisville); and the
Charles Young Center (Lexington). Images from respective NRHP Applications.

Last week, the Kentucky Historic Preservation Review Board approved six sites for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, nominations which will now be forwarded to the National Park Service (NPS) for final determination of eligibility. A decision on designation will be rendered within 60 to 90 days.

The sites were:

Marianne Theater in Campbell County;
Charles Young Park and Community Center in Fayette County;
Lynn Acres Apartments in Jefferson County;
Louisville, Gas & Electric Co. Service Station Complex in Jefferson County;
Hellman Lumber and Manufacturing Co. in Kenton County; and
Elkhorn City Elementary and High Schools in Pike County.

A summary about the first three is included below and the final three will be covered in a post tomorrow. But first a little bit about the National Register and the process for getting a property listed:

The National Register

Owners of National Register properties may qualify for state and/or federal tax credits for rehabilitation of these properties to standards set forth by the Secretary of the Interior, as certified by the Kentucky Heritage Council, or by making a charitable contribution of a preservation easement. National Register status does not affect property ownership rights, but does provide a measure of protection against adverse impacts from federally funded projects.

The National Register is the nation’s official list of historic and archaeological resources deemed worthy of preservation. Kentucky has the fourth-highest number of listings among states, at more than 3,300. Listing can be applied to buildings, objects, structures, districts and archaeological sites, and proposed sites must be significant in architecture, engineering, American history or culture.

And now for the properties …

Marianne Theatre

Marianne Theatre Marquee. NRHP Application.

There once were over 60 neighborhood theaters in northern Kentucky and the Marianne was one of the finest.

Charles Young Park and Community Center

Charles Young Center. NRHP Application.

Lynn Acres Garden Apartments

Circa 1950 Aerial of Lynn Acres. NRHP Application.

The other 3 sites nominated by the Heritage Council will be discussed tomorrow on the Kaintuckeean.

“The Most Haunted Nightclub in America” is Bobby Mackey’s Music World

Bobby Mackey’s Music World – Wilder, Ky.

For those of you who have frequently read this blog, you are no doubt aware that Kentucky is a unique place. What you might not know is just how unique Kentucky is. This uniqueness dates back to even prehistoric times when even the Native Americans recognized that there was something a little bit different about this place. Native American groups didn’t really live in what is now Kentucky – it was a highly fought-over hunting ground. When settlers first arrived, they were warned by the natives that Kentucky was a “dark and bloody ground.”

In recent years, there has been an uptick in interest in all things “paranormal.” This increase in interest has been beneficial for quite a few businesses and landmarks all over the country, as haunted places have become popular tourist destinations. Perhaps as a result of its “dark and bloody” history, Kentucky has more than its fair share of paranormal destinations, including Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville (which will be the subject of its own post no doubt) and Bobby Mackey’s Music World in Wilder, the self proclaimed “Most Haunted Nightclub in America.” Bobby Mackey’s has been visited by a number of now-popular ghost hunter TV shows (Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, etc.), and has been able to capitalize on its dark and disturbing legendary history.

The community of Wilder sits along the Licking River, just south of Newport. When you enter the club, the sign above greets you, to let you know that your experience in this club might be a little bit different. Inside the club, you’re greeted with the sights and sounds of any country/western bar. There’s a nice size stage, and even a mechanical bull. Off to the side of the bar is a gift shop that contains the normal stuff you might see at a destination bar – t-shirts, shot glasses … and ghost hunting materials.

The history of Bobby Mackey’s is mostly culled from legend, and further reading can be found at both Bobby Mackey’s website and in Jeffrey Scott Holland’s excellent book, Weird Kentucky: Your Travel Guide to Kentucky’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets.

Gateway to Hell

According to legend, Bobby Mackey’s contains a “gateway to hell” which was created due to occult activity on the site. According to local legend, the site was originally the site of a slaughterhouse, and the well on-site was used to dump blood and remains into the Licking River to the west. This dumping of blood attracted the local occult and Satanic groups, which began to use the site for rituals. The story of Pearl Bryan then enters into the legend. Pearl Bryan was a 22-year old pregnant woman whose decapitated body was found near Ft. Thomas, Kentucky in 1896. Two men were tried and convicted of her murder Campbell County, and eventually both were hanged. Her sad story is pretty complicated and perhaps too disturbing for these pages, but a full account can be found here. Their trial, however, revealed the presence of Satanic groups in the area, and it is alleged that her head (which was never found) was used in a ritual at the site of the well. This well remains and is pictured at left. Allegedly, Pearl is among those who haunts the site.

Stairway to No Where

Bobby Mackey’s more recent history is closely tied to the history of Newport. As recently as a few decades ago, Newport was a pretty rough place with a significant organized crime presence. The site has for the last hundred years or so been a nightclub under a number of different owners and names. The site’s bootlegging and speakeasy history is still visible in the basement with this “stairway to no where” which sits right next to the “gateway to hell.” This stairwell was used to secretly ferry people and supplies in and out of the club during prohibition years. The basement also contains a crude jail cell, and a concrete room that allegedly is soundproof, and was the site of some pretty nasty face to face questioning sessions.

Another alleged spirit in the club is Johanna, a dancer who committed suicide by poisoning herself backstage after her father murdered her lover, who was a singer at the club. Johanna’s rose-scented perfume can allegedly be detected in different spots all over the site.

My experiences at Bobby Mackey’s were relatively uneventful, but it was still a really amazing place to visit – if just for its vivid representations of the recent shady past of this area of northern Kentucky. If you’re a paranormal junky, it’s a must see.

Historic St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Newport Regains Status

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – Newport, Ky.

In his final years, Colonel James Taylor donated a piece of land for the establishment of a church near the courthouse square in Newport, Kentucky. Taylor brought the first settlers in 1793 to the southeastern point of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio Rivers. By 1795, Newport was incorporated.

On the land donated by Taylor was a 30 x 40 foot brick structure that had been used by the Methodist Church, but they had already moved on to a larger structure. It was here that on Easter Sunday, 1844, that the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church first held services. Services were led by the then-rector of Cincinnati, Rev. Nicholas Hamner Cobbs. Also of note is that St. Paul’s was the first Episcopal church in the United States to have a vested choir.

The old Methodist meeting house was purchased later in 1844 for the sum of $500. In 1845, the church was admitted into the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky and was transferred to the Diocese of Lexington when the new diocese was formed in 1896. At that time, the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church congregation was the largest in the newly formed diocese.

Postcard of Campbell County Courthouse Square and
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (Courtesy: NKyViews)

In 1871, the Methodist meeting house was demolished and on the same site the cornerstone was laid for the present Gothic Revival church building. It was designed by J. R. Neff and was completed – well over budget – in August 1873. A parish house was added in 1929.

The Gothic Revival church is quite impressive. Its tall steeple, unlike the majority which are either pre-made or constructed with panels, was built stone-by-stone. The Gothic elements embody the popular Anglican architectural style prevalent in the 19th century: side entrance tower, buttresses, tri-window arrangement on the front and usage of the lancet window. In truth, the style has come to represent a “traditional look” for churches in America.

Historic Marker “St. Paul’s Church”

About forty years ago, St. Paul’s found itself unable to be self-sustaining due to dropping attendance and offerings. As a result, the diocese dropped St. Paul’s designation from parish to mission. Though once the largest parish in the diocese, St. Paul’s was relegated to a diminished status. But the faithful people of the mission were steadfast. Since the installation of a new rector in 2004, St. Paul’s has seen tremendous growth and only recently regained its status as a parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington.

Those who have worshipped here included Taylor and his family, Rep. Brent Spence, and Henry Stanberry who represented President Andrew Johnson during his impeachment trial.

Sources: Cinncinnati.com; Cinn. Dly Cmlth (Taylor St. Meth.); Ky. Enc.; N. Ky. Enc.; N. Ky. Views; NRHP

NoD: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

The Red Doors of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Newport, Ky.

Aside from the Cross, the most recognizable sign of a church (Episcopalian) is the red door – they are great for spotting from a block away. Also impressive is the number of Episcopal churches in Kentucky which are historical points of reference.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Newport is such a church. It’s ivy-covered stone clock-tower next to the courthouse square makes for a beautiful church. The congregation began in 1845 and construction began on this church building in 1871. It is worth noting that the Episcopal Church in Kentucky did not split during the Civil War as did other denominations; this was a principal cause for St. Paul’s continued growth. “By 1870…the political prejudices and antipathies engendered by that terrible catastrophe were largely removed; and Federalist and Confederates together knelt in brotherly love and good-will at the same altar.” [*] Services were first held here in 1873, but the building was not completed until 1888. The project was over budget at a cost of $33,000 rather than the expected $19,452. The church, however, has weathered many storms: an 1880 earthquake, the flooding of the Ohio River in 1884 and 1937, as well as tornadoes in 1915 and 1986.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Newport, Ky.

But it is the people who attended St. Paul’s that complete its story (and cause it to have a historic marker, #1511):

For a century and a quarter, a St. Paul’s Episcopal Church has stood on this corner. Since 1871, the bell in the towering spire atop this native stone church has rung for services. Here worshipped Gen. James Taylor, War of 1812; Henry Stanbery, who defended President Andrew Johnson at his impeachment trial, 1868; Brent Spence, 37 yrs. in Congress, a lifetime member.

The church offers many social services for its urban community and continues to hold weekly services.

NoD: World Peace Belll

World Peace Bell, Newport, Ky.

You’d think something called the World Peace Bell would be in New York, right? Near the U.N.? Perhaps in Europe – Switzerland would be a good spot. Nope and nope. [Well, OK. There are other peace bells, too.]

The World Peace Bell is located in Newport, Ky. Dedicated on 12-31-1999, it first rang when the 2000s began – it could be heard from a distance of 25 miles. The bell, a Verdin, was cast in France and sailed the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico to New Orleans before navigating the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to reach its Kentucky home. The bell itself is 12 feet high, 12 feet in diameter and weighs 66,000 pounds! (With clapper and support, the total weight is nearly 90,000 lbs.) It rings at noon, daily.

Check out the other pics of the World Peace Bell from my flickr photostream.

NoD: Northern Kentucky Firefighter’s Memorial

Firefighter’s Memorial in Newport, Ky.

Near the Campbell County courthouse (seen in background) is the Northern Kentucky Firefighter’s Memorial depicting a firefighter carrying one child and walking two other children to safety. The “northern Kentucky” region is unlike any other in Kentucky: its citizenry identifies itself not by county or community, but simply by its generic “northern Kentucky” term. This memorial – and the corresponding firefighter’s association – is dedicated to the brave men of the various Northern Kentucky fire departments (39 departments in 4 counties) [*] and particularly those brave men and women who have laid their lives in service of their neighbors and communities.

Campbell County Courthouse REDUX – Newport, Ky.

So if there is anyone out there that pays attention to these posts, you might remember that I have had the Campbell County Courthouse on here before…but it wasn’t in Newport.

So looking back, I was pretty tired when I photographed the Courthouse in Alexandria. And that town is still terribly depressing. But I should have remembered the courthouse picture above, which I have passed numerous times in Newport and thought that something must be amiss here.

So here’s the deal. According to an article by Jim Reis that has been published on Rootsweb, the county seat was moved to Newport in 1797. The land for this courthouse was given by James Taylor, the founder of Newport. The first courthouse was built in 1815. Now, some people wanted the county seat to be closer to the center of the county, so it was moved to a small rural community called Visalia. Visalia was apparently in the middle of nowhere, so the seat was moved back to Newport, where it remained until 1840. That was until Kenton County was carved out of Campbell County, and the legislature decided to make another move to the center of the county, establishing the county seat in Alexandria.

As Reis says “[t]he transition from Newport to Alexandria wasn’t smooth.” It actually took a court order and a visit from the sheriff to get the county clerk to go to Alexandria.

I know there are many who wonder why Kentucky has so many counties. The story of why there is still a courthouse in Newport is the perfect answer to that question. In 1883, Newport lobbied the legislature for an exception to the state law that required county business to only be conducted in the county seat. A special law was created, creating the Newport Court House District, which allowed for Campbell County business to be conducted in Newport. However, as was clarified by a recent court decision, Newport is NOT a county seat. County business is just conducted there.

Anyway, the above courthouse is where county business is conducted in Campbell County. I had to go to a hearing in this courthouse, and there is a great deal of construction going on behind and in front of the building. I am a big fan of this building, as I think it’s a striking building in a community that I love. I’ve always been a big fan of Newport, both for its recent revitalization, and for its seedy history as a den of sin.