Fayette – Page 21 – The Kaintuckeean

walkLEX: A subtle change to Lexington’s skyline

Fifth Third Bank Building - Lexington, Ky.

Helicopter Hovering O’er Lexington, Ky.

The Lexington Financial Center. 250 West Main St. The Fifth Third Bank Building. The Big Blue Building.

Regardless of the name you use to describe Lexington’s tallest building, you may have noticed a little activity over the weekend at the top of this 410 foot tower. A couple of weeks ago, I tweeted an inquiry about what had happened to the top of our most recognized skyscraper. Quick to my aid, the Lexington Streetsweeper advised me that Fifth Third Bank had changed its logo and that the building’s signage was being replaced.

The bank’s logo was actually changed in 2007 to include a green horizon – intended to evoke a sentiment of growth and of possibilities – behind the classic 5/3 shield, though it is only now being brought to our skyline. The new logo would replace the old logos on the north and south faces of the landmark building that had been in place since Fifth Third moved into the skyscraper in 1996. The Financial Center first opened on June 16, 1987, with the flower-like logo of the Bank of Lexington.

On Friday, a helicopter landed at Centrepasture and I quickly learned of the daring feats that would be accomplished on Saturday. And though our Bedouin friend had both his camel and back turned away from the helicopter and all of “Centrecopter,” I was intrigued.

So I could not help but return to the scene Saturday morning. There, I witnessed men rappelling from the peak of that blue tower while the helicopter hovered overhead – mountings for the new signage hanging from it by only a few cables. High winds left one of the rappellers suspended by only his harness and it was decided to postpone the project until calmer winds prevailed. You can see how fast the wind was by watching this video – look at the clouds!

As for when the project will continue, we don’t know. Each of the two signs to be installed weighs 10,000 pounds. For safety reasons, all nearby streets are closed during the installation. So, too, are all businesses occupying the top three floors in any building under the flight path.

According to the LHL, the new signs are 26 feet wide, 24 feet tall and 60% more energy efficient than the old signage. But until the weather permits, we will just have to enjoy Lexington’s newest tic-tac-toe board:

Lexington’s Largest Tic-Tac-Toe Board – Lexington, Ky.

Look for an update when the sign is actually complete. In the interim, check out the gallery (including videos) of the transformation.

walkLEX: From Athletics to Arts, 161 North Mill Always a Community Center

Arts Place, 161 N. Mill St., – Lexington, Ky.

The beaux arts building at the northwest corner of Mill and Church streets in downtown Lexington as always served the role as community center since its cornerstone was laid on May 24, 1904. Built by the Young Men’s Christian Association to serve the Lexington community, the building opened to the public on April 18, 1905. Days earlier, a separate organization was organized and operated from a room inside the North Mill Y: a “Colored YMCA” – a separate organization with separate membership and leadership based solely on color. Today, this remains only a footnote in the history of a terrific Christian organization, but a tidbit that reminds us that segregation used to divide all parts of life. (In 1907, the Colored YMCA organization moved from the White Y and into the old Lexington Press building on Cheapside).

The YMCA has always been concerned with both the physical and spiritual health of its members. And athletics and exercise are the keystone of the membership’s physical health.

In the earliest days of the University of Kentucky’s storied men’s basketball program, the Kentucky Wildcats took the court three times in the Y’s gymnasium. In the first matchup on January 11, 1906, Kentucky was pitted against Kentucky University (now Transylvania) and Kentucky won the matchup, though the score was never recorded. Kentucky would lose games in 1907 and 1908 against the Lexington YMCA, 22-41 and 19-29.

On-the-court basketball was not the only kind played at the Y. A Lexington Leader article from 1906 revealed facts about “water basketball” – “Water basketball has also been introduced. The rules are the same as in the usual game, except that the players are required to remain in the water, which at one end of the pool permits them to stand but at the other compels them to swim.” The same article described other amenities at the pool: “The coolness of the pool at the Y. M. C. A. and the recent addition of a slippery chute, the chute and the fine springing board are alluring an increasing number of the members to enjoy amphibious sport.

In 1909, the YMCA experienced a revenue crunch which almost caused the building to be sold. Though the building cost only $40,000 to construct, the fundraising drive required another $55,000. Over a period of a few months, these funds were raised. A clock was installed in front of the old courthouse; it was updated daily to reflect the status of the effort.

Eventually, the YMCA required additional space and the building was assumed by the YWCA. This community center shifted its role from emphasizing athletics to emphasizing the arts when it was acquired in 1979 by the Lexington Council for the Arts for $150,000. From 1980 to 1983, a $1.4 million renovation transformed the facility but has retained the beautiful Beaux arts architecture. From this location, ArtsPlace has provided studio, performance and rehearsal space to numerous groups.

Sources: Big Blue History; LexArts; local.lexpublib.org

walkLEX: Proposed subdivision in Western Suburb would have long-term detrimental effect

615/617 West Short Street – Lexington, Ky.
Photo cropped from Microsoft Bing

In the 1960s, downtown Lexington suffered several mighty blows when looked at from the architectural, historic or preservationist perspectives. Many architecturally significant buildings were demolished to make way for surface parking lots, the charm of the old courthouse‘s interior was masked over, and the beautiful city hall on what is now Martin Luther King Blvd experienced an addition which destroyed its character leaving no saving grace when the structure was ultimately destroyed in the early 2000s.

If you go and you should:
Board of Adjustment Hearing
Council Chambers, 2d floor
200 East Main St.
Lexington
Fri., Nov. 18 – 1 PM

If you cannot attend, please email:
[email protected]

Another development blunder was the construction of the Bluegrass Upholstery building at 615 West Short Street in the heart of the Historic Western Suburb. This one story, warehouse style structure wraps around the entire property which consists of a consolidated plat including both 615 and 617 West Short Street. While the occupants of the building may have been good neighbors and their work exquisite, the building serves as a ‘non-conforming use’ under current zoning laws because it operates in an otherwise residential area.

Adjacent to (and literally connected) to the Bluegrass Upholstery building is the house at 617 West Short Street. Like 615, the first floor of 617 serves a commercial use as part of the upholstery company. Built in the 1800s, 617 is part of the architectural fabric of the street and the neighborhood, where citizens of taken great strides over the past thirty years to bring the area back to glory. Businesses now thrive on Jefferson Street, a block away.

But the owners of 615/617 want to have the property subdivided between the two units so that 617 can be sold off to a private owner who, in the best of circumstances, will effort to return the property to its own glory days. But a residence butted up to the one-story commercial building would reduce its value as a residence and would in turn diminish the value of other neighboring properties.

So why would a preservationist and history-lover not want to see the properties subdivided and a historic residence returned to beauty?

Because I believe that the subdivision would perpetuate the non-conforming use at 615 West Short Street. I’m not alone: the Blue Grass Trust, the Western Suburb’s Neighborhood Association and other like-minded organizations including the South Hill and Northside neighborhood associations are joining forces to object to the proposed subdivision. You can join them at the Board of Adjustment’s hearing tomorrow, Friday November 18 at 1 p.m. in the Council Chambers in Lexington.

Section 4.2 of Lexington’s zoning ordinance discourages these ‘non-conforming uses’ by suggesting that the Planning Commission “not encourage their survival.” By isolating the two properties, if makes it easier for future occupiers of 615 West Short to continue the non-conforming use. Which is precisely why section 4.5(a) of the ordinance prohibits subdivision or consolidation “in a manner that increase its non-conformity.”

Further, as the city of Lexington considers moving forward with making downtown streets – including West Short Street – two-way, it is important to consider how this subdivision would further impact traffic by making it more difficult for delivery trucks to service any commercial entity operating at 615. Currently, there is a surface parking lot sufficient to allow for off-street loading and unloading, but reducing the size of this lot through subdivision would eliminate this functionality. Too, it would put more pressure on the already premium on-street parking on this block of West Short Street where many homeowners do not have off-street parking options and rely each day on finding a place to park their vehicles.

The long-term ramifications of this subdivision proposal are great and detrimental to the welfare of the community. The subdivision itself, though recommended by the staff of the planning commission, appears to violate the provisions of Lexington’s zoning ordinance. For these reasons, the subdivision on West Short Street should not be allowed to proceed.

This post was republished by both KyForward and ProgressLex.

NoD: National Horse Show, Kentucky edition

2011 Alltech National Horse Show - Lexington, Ky.

Juniors’ event at the Nationals – Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, Ky.

You want proof that the 2010 World Equestrian Games was a boost for Kentucky’s economy, bringing in tourists and their pocketbooks? Look no further than the National Horse Show. The pedigree of the NHS is long and mighty.

The first NHS was held in 1883 at the original Madison Square Gardens in New York City, where it remained (through various versions of MSG) until about eight years ago. It was too cost prohibitive to hold the event in Manhattan, so it was moved to Syracuse. That was a losing proposition.

In January of this year, it was announced that the Kentucky Horse Park’s $40 million indoor arena, Alltech Arena, would host the 2011 Alltech National Horse Show. For the past few days, Nov. 2-6, competitors from around the country have gathered in Lexington show their jumping skills aboard their noble steeds.

By all accounts, the show is a success. It is anticipated that additional breeds will be added next year and that discussions are underway with the world equestrian sports body, FEI, to bring a Nations Cup back to the NHS. In a Nations Cup, national teams bid for top bidding.

Inside the Alltech Arena, a trade show circled the concourse with trade vendors and a small-scale experience of the Alltech Experience and the Kentucky Experience – both tremendous educational opportunities that premiered at WEG. Early on Saturday afternoon, the lil’ Kaintuckeean and I witnessed juniors Maclay and jumping competitions. Though attendance was small, these were not the featured events. It was still a great opportunity for the lil’ Kaintuck to see some horses, though!

More photographs from the National Horse Show are available on flickr.

walkLEX: Bakery repurposed as local art gallery Institute 193

Institute 193 – Lexington, Ky.

Over time, the various owners of the building at 193 North Limestone St. in Lexington rehabilitated the structure from its former self as as a bakery-turned-warehouse to become an art gallery. Today, Institute 193, www.institute193.org, is a trampoline for local artists into larger markets. But the building has a long, yeasty history.

The building is of the Georgian Revival style, circa 1915, and is attributed to the Lexington architect Martin Geertz. It was originally home to “one of the best bakeries in the state” – operated by Mr. Muth (originally of Cincinnati). Before having this structure erected, Mr. Muth owned the Star Stream Bakery at 338 West Short Street. It would seem that by 1925, Mr. Muth had retired as he then bought a 56 acre farm near Muir Station.

In Lexington’s competitive baking market, Muth’s facility would not sit idle for long. L.R. Drury’s bakery, a half block south at 148 North Limestone, had opened in 1914 as a small retail outlet emphasizing cakes and catering. Deliveries were made by bicycle. It was said that Drury’s was a “modern, high-class service bakery [where] modern machinery, best flour, butter and milk are used.” Filling the void left by Muth’s departure, Drury expands his operations to the southwest corner of Limestone and Second Streets. Cake and pastry operations remained at 148 North Limestone until 1930 when they were moved to 193 North Limestone bringing all of Drury’s baking operations under one roof. By the following year, Drury had “eight automobile trucks” delivering baked goods around central Kentucky. [*]

Institute 193’s gallery is perfectly designed to host a solo show. An intimate space, its white walls are plain but the historic feel of the building with its punched tin ceiling give the room texture.

The work of Mike Goodlett, currently on display, evokes a visceral response. Trained in Cincinnati, this Wilmore artist uses a variety of mediums to separately reveal the fetishes of sexuality and cigarettes.

Our Blue Grass Trust deTour also explored the winding labyrinth of rooms that make up the underbelly of this and other adjoining buildings, including the restaurant le Deauville. Part of a Duhrkop Baking Company oven is still in the building’s basement. Duhrkop, a New York company founded in 1887, was a leading oven manufacturer for bakeries around the country with its first installation at the Fleishchmann Bread Company. These rarely explored rooms are a glimpse into a forgotten past.

Additional photographs of Institute 193 and the building can be viewed on flickr.

walkLEX: A.B. “Happy” Chandler Medical Center Celebrates Kentucky

Pavilion A of the Chandler Medical Center – Lexington, Ky.

If you’ve driven down South Limestone/Nicholasville Rd in the past couple years, you know of this towering medical facility on the south side of UK’s campus. The growing UK Healthcare has constructed a twelve story structure consisting of a four-story pedestal under two eight-story towers. Though not fully opened, a number of units have moved from the old Chandler Medical Center to this new facility.

The new Pavilion features a number of artistic qualities that allow a large, industrial space to seem warm and comforting. It truly is a beautiful facility. A favorite feature of mine is the “Celebrate Kentucky” wall which features digital photographs from across the Commonwealth alongside words from Jesse Stuart‘s poem, Kentucky is My Land.

Since I am Kentucky, and Kentucky is a part of me.

more photos of the Chandler Medical Center are on flickr

walkLEX: Commonwealth Stadium Upgrades Facilities; Downgrades On-Field Play

An Upgraded Commonwealth Stadium – Lexington, Ky.

Yes, it is a difficult time to be a Kentucky football fan. This is not an opportunity for Louisville fans to gloat, either, as both teams sit at 2-4. A recent Herald-Leader article points to Kentucky’s statewide battle against New Mexico’s FBS teams for the worst statewide college football landscape. What an honor.

But at least UK fans can enjoy a few facility upgrades in the technology department over at Commonwealth Stadium. And with the team’s lack of on-the-field success, tickets should be very easy to come by.

New video boards at either end of the stadium are 37′ x 80′ apiece, each ranking 15th nationally for largest video boards. The Daktronics HD boards show a crisp image image during the game that is much improved from the old video boards which were smaller and surrounded by advertising. Today’s larger boards include on-screen advertising and on-screen scores and stats. Everyone loves the new video boards, even if a replay of an up-the-middle run or a Tydlacka-punt doesn’t necessarily make for the most exciting game.

More controversial than Joker’s play-calling has been the ribbon boards which surround the stadium immediately below the upper deck. Although I miss the Ring of Honor that saluted former UK standout players, I understand the need to upgrade facilities. And I’m pleased that those players are now honored with flags bearing their names. Even so, it is hard to read those flags and I hope that UK does something more to connect UK football’s present to its past.

Another issue I have with the video boards is that they are used almost solely for advertising. Scores and stats of the current game appear on both sides of the 50-yard-line and KCTCS, McDonalds, and information about the next women’s volleyball game appear elsewhere. Now I understand the need for advertising revenues, but I was very excited about these ribbon boards because I had hoped we would see regular, live updates from around the conference and around the nation. But alas, these updates are only occasional and are relegated to a small panel at either end zone (the other small end zone ribbon board panels offer play-by-play commentary in closed captioning).

Yes, the upgrades are nice. But they could be better. But we must relish the fact that in terms of total square footage (combining both big-boards and the ribbons), Commonwealth Stadium ranks #3 in the country! That may end up being UK’s standout statistic of the season.

Win or lose, come out and support the Cats! This is homecoming weekend and we face FCS’ Jacksonville State. Help the ‘Cats “bring home the victory!”

more photos of Commonwealth Stadium on flickr

walkLEX: #OccupyLexKY at 20 Days

A Small Crowd of #OccupyLexKY Protestors – Lexington, Ky.

One one end of the block that is home to Lexington’s main Chase Bank branch is a replica statue of the Flying Horse of Gansu. A gift from the Chinese government to the people of Lexington, the original statue dates to the Han dynasty some 200 years BCE. The donor, China, is not well-known for allowing public speech (see, inter alia, Tienanmen Square). But we aren’t in China.

So at the other end of the block are a group of individuals protesting corporate greed and the control of wealth and power in the concentrated few. I walked past the protestors when they first appeared on September 29 and contemplated writing this post, but decided against it. I thought at most it could be a #kernel post. But now the Occupiers have been standing sentry on behalf of the “99%” for 20 days. Day or night, rain or shine. They’ve upped themselves to a #walkLEX post as they’ve become a fixture of downtown for the time being.
Although I was displeased with their screaming at my friend (a bank teller, not an executive, dressed in a suit and wearing his XYZ Bank name tag) and calling him a “corporate big,”I understand this to be quite the exception to the behavior of the #OccupyLexKy crowd. They have been largely peaceful and have cooperated with police and Chase Bank requests regarding the location and condition of their demonstration. And it looks like the group’s peaceful demeanor is viewed positively by Americans as Time magazine shows the Occupiers’ approval at 54% (compared with 27% for the Tea Party movement). [*]

The group includes some unemployed persons, as well as veterans, nurses, students, and others who make up the 99% (a term which contrasts with the overused “wealthiest one percent”). Our #OccupyLexKy demonstrators range in number at any given time from 2 to 20+. The Lexington group began twelve days after similar demonstrations began in New York City (#OccupyWallStreet).

Other similarly-minded occupations have sprung up around the country and around the world. In Kentucky, occupiers have set camp in Lexington, Louisville, Berea, Ashland, Bowling Green, Owensboro and probably other towns as well.

For more information, check out OccupyLexKy.org or their presence on Facebook.

walkLEX: Bodley-Bullock House Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts

Bodley-Bullock House – Lexington, Ky.

Built for Mayor Pindell, the house at 200 North Market Street was sold yet inhabited to Col. Thomas Bodley. Bodley came to Lexington a hero of the War of 1812, was clerk of the court when he admitted Henry Clay to the practice of law, and greeted Gen. LaFayette on the Marquis’ 1825 arrival to Lexington, but Bodley would lose this three-story Federal style townhouse to his mortgagee, the Bank of the United States, during the financial Panic of 1819.

The Federal townhouse took a Greek Revival appearance later in the 19th century as other owners added a Doric entrance porch and two-story portico to the northern side of the house which faces the garden.

During the Civil War, the house was occupied at different times by both Union and Confederate troops.

In 1912, the house was purchased for $11,000 by Dr.Waller O. Bullock and his wife, Minnie. Dr. Bullock was the co-founder of the Lexington Clinic which remains one of Lexington’s top healthcare providers, but it is “Miss Minnie” whose story continues to be a part of the home’s history. (She also played a great role in Lexington’s civic and cultural history.)

Miss Minnie passed in 1970 leaving the home in trust to Transylvania University and the property has been maintained since by the Junior League of Lexington. But Miss Minnie remains in the house.

The house, frequently rented for weddings and other events, has a magnificent staircase used for bridal photographs. A few negatives have appeared with the bride … and another woman and child. The child often would come over from the park and talk to Miss Minnie, and it appears she still does.

At another wedding, the guests lingered a bit too long for Miss Minnie’s tastes and so the lights in the foyer turned on and off. As the story goes, the chandelier did not just dim but fully turned on and off… four times. Yes, Miss Minnie continues to show her preferences even after death.

But her greatest preference was her lifestyle as a teetotaler. She allowed no alcohol in the house during her life, and she prohibited it in her will after her death. So how is it that the venue is among Lexington’s most popular for weddings? The trustees overseeing the house changed her will to allow for visitors to consume alcohol. The decision was made in a boardroom on the second floor of the house. The morning after the decision was made, a large crack was found in the glass covering the boardroom table with no evidence of any cause. Yes, Miss Minnie was not pleased.

Certainly, wedding guests have been pleased with the changed. And so too is King Solomon, the town drunk who was the hero of the 1833 cholera plague. A painting of his likeness, purchased by Dr. Bullock, still hangs in the home’s gallery.

Miss Minnie never liked the painting, either.

more pictures of the Bodley-Bullock House on flickr

Sources: BizLex; Dunn’s Old Houses of Lexington; NRHP (Gratz Park); Southern Spirit Guide; Stories from the Haunted South; VisitLex

walkLEX: Northside is a Tale of Two Cities


Ross Avenue – Lexington, Ky.		Hampton Court – Lexington, Ky.

Upon my first study of Northside, I learned that the expansive neighborhood is a tale of two cities. Large and opulent homes occupied the high ground while smaller, inexpensive homes filled in the lower elevations between. I wrote:

It has been noted that both the black urban clusters and the predominately white suburbs were both developed off of the major roadways, yet the former occupied the valleys between the more-elevated suburb.

And I noticed this division on a recent walk. Consider Hampton Court and Ross Avenue. These two parallel streets between Third and Fourth Streets appear as a Dickensian Tale of Two Cities.

Hampton Court, a hundred-year-old urban cul-de-sac surrounded by stone walls and arched entries. Built on the site of the old orphan asylum, the beautiful homes and luxury apartments of Hampton Court enjoy a central park-like area in the heart of downtown.

Contrast this with Ross Avenue which was built around the same time as Hampton Court. On its east side are the rear entrances to the Hampton Court homes which today means tall privacy fences and the occasional driveway. On the west are, as pictured, nearly identical one story T-plan houses. When built, this street would have been home to lower-middle-class professionals but today those residents have moved on to suburbia.

In the 1980s, Hampton Court residents, citing an increase in burglaries and vandalism, first padlocked and then welded shut an iron gate (pictured) that opened their court to pedestrians from Fourth Street. These two streets grew further apart.

But despite their differences, these two streets and their residents have lived and continue to live in facultative symbiosis. These two streets operate as a lesson and reminder of urban planning. A lesson which slaps an even more segregated suburbia in the face. A lesson that shows design excellence by providing affordable housing in a the urban setting with quality of construction. Quality exists on both Hampton and Court; if it did not these homes would not have survived one hundred years.

more photos of Northside on flickr