Fayette – Page 25 – The Kaintuckeean

walkLEX: Lexington Opera House

The Bluegrass Trust for Historic Preservation hosts a monthly deTour to a local historic site that has been well-preserved and restored. Please join us on our next deTour – details on Facebook! You can also help us plan the September deTour by voting here! Our guides for the Opera House deTour were Opera House program director, Luanne Franklin, and technical director, Michael Lavin.

Celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, the Lexington Opera House has a colorful past and a bright future. During its life, it has gone through a number of acts. In 1886, a fire destroyed the old opera house – seated at the southeast corner of Main and Broadway – and the following month a corporation was formed to raise funds for the present Opera House. What opened the following year was later described by the Lexington Leader as the “costliest, handsomest and most convenient Thespian temples in the South, an object of cherished pride in the city.” Designed with both safety and comfort in mind, the Opera House pumped cold water from a nearby ice factory to cool the temperature of the orchestra level and the two balconies.

(clockwise, from top). Exterior from Short Street; Exterior from North Broadway; Carved Putto over the main door into the theatre hearkens prosperity; the orchestra and two balconies.

Over time, the tastes of arts patrons changed and the Opera House adapted. It operated as a vaudeville house and as a movie house. Ultimately, the boxes were boarded up (those on the orchestra level never would return) and a false ceiling was installed hiding the second balcony (in days of segregation, the remaining balcony was for blacks only). And then the pornos hit the big screen. Over time, the building (and arguably the quality of the programming) deteriorated and, in 1968, that false ceiling collapsed.

A fortuitous event, really, because it reminded urban renewal activists of the Opera House’s grandeur. The site was included in a proposed revitalization of downtown that, through the Lexington Center Corporation, would include the construction of Rupp Arena and the Civic Center. In 1973, the fate of the Opera House was sealed. A storm ripped open the roof to reveal a building determined by engineers to be structurally sound. It would cost $2.5 million to repair the Opera House (as opposed to a proposed $7 million new facility). As with all projects, the renovation costs went over-budget, but a number of Lexingtonians stepped up to make the Opera House grand again.

Garvice Kincaid donated a Baccarat crystal chandelier that hangs inside the North Broadway entrance; it originally hung in a chateau in the south of France. Sylvia Ross took a remnant of the decaying golden ornamental design that creates beauty throughout the Opera House and, with 6 tons of plaster, created all of the ornamental plaster work you see today!

The Opera House is truly a unique gem for Lexington. With only 866 seats, it is one of the smallest venue to host the Broadway LIVE series (now in its 35th year). It is one of only fourteen theaters in the United States constructed prior to 1900 seating fewer than 1,000 people that survives today. Great stars have appeared on the stage and the stage itself has been both flooded and iced for different performances.

Our tour guide, program director Luanne Franklin, would be disappointed if I did not mention the Opera House Fund. Since the mid-1970s, it has raised over $4 million to support the local arts community and to continue to bring quality programming, like Broadway LIVE, to Lexington. As discussion continues on the future of Rupp Arena and a new arena, we must not forget about our arts venues. Some of this discussion contemplates a new basketball venue and converting the existing arena into a larger performing arts center; Lexington needs a venue of this size and it would be a complement, not a detriment, to the continued success of the Opera House.

The original 1886 door between the Opera House lobby and the theater remains in place. The door and its frame were carved in France, and the framework features a putto who has and continues to hearken prosperity for this Lexington institution.

You can view all of my pictures from the Opera House here.

Bibliography
Lexington Opera House, “Our History“
Lexington newspapers via local.lexpublib.org
National Register, “Opera House“
Notes, deTour 7/6/2011

Happy Birthday, America!

Fourth of July Fireworks, 2010 – Lexington, Ky.

I am taking the holiday weekend off to celebrate Our Independence from the tyranny of George III. There are a bunch of great things going on throughout the state – so celebrate. If you are in Lexington, I’ll probably be there to because they really know how to celebrate the Fourth of July!

Check out these pictures from last year’s celebrations!

walkLEX: Fayette National Bank Building (Lexington’s First Skyscraper)

Fayette National Bank Building – Lexington, Ky.

When a now-ex-brother-in-law from New York City arrived for the first time in Lexington, he exclaimed: “You have tall buildings, too!” Whether this was an insult or a complement, I do not know. But it is true that a skyline is one attribute that separates a town from a city. In April of 1912, the directors of the Fayette National Bank Building voted to erect a fifteen story skyscraper as its new principal office. Lexington, no longer a town, could now call itself a city. While the skyscraper was under construction, the Lexington Leader wrote:

Towering 225 feet above the level of the sidewalk, the new fifteen-story building now being erected by the Fayette National Bank as its permanent home at the northeast corner of Main and Upper streets, a photograph of which, made from the architect’s drawing, is presented on this page of the Leader, will be the tallest and most imposing business structure in Kentucky outside of Louisville. [3/23/1913].

The building remains among the ten tallest in Lexington. It replaced part of Jordan’s Row (North Upper) and the old Higgins Block (Main Street) that housed the old Fayette National Bank (see this picture from 1887) since 1899. The bank’s history, however, dates to 1870.

Of course, the Bank couldn’t occupy all fifteen floors itself! It hired the real estate firm of Chinn & Lawless in June 1913 to rent the 220 offices that would comprise the remainder of the building. The real estate firm’s principal, Asa Chinn, is well-known for his photo collection that chronicles downtown Lexington circa 1920.

The Fayette National Bank Building was itself designed by the American architectural firm McKim, Mead & White of New York City, a most-prestigious firm. Other examples of their work include the 1903 expansion of the White House, which included the West Wing, New York’s old Penn Station, and the New York Public Library.

The Fayette National Bank Building is in the Beaux-Arts classical design. Four bays carry over through the three tiers of the building. Its base, the first four stories, are of Bedford limestone with 2 pairs of Ionic columns stretching three floors to create an impressive, yet approachable Main Street frontage. The top four floors of the building act as a cap, while the middle floors are a non-descript shaft. It would be the only skyscraper constructed in Lexington until the late 1960s when the University of Kentucky erected two residential towers (1967) and the Patterson Office Tower (1968).

Wrote the Lexington Herald, April 27, 1912: The Fayette National Bank Building “will be the highest and most pretentious of the office buildings of the city. It will occupy a commanding position opposite the courthouse, and will be a decided acquisition to Main Street.” And today, it remains a “decided acquisition” for Lexington’s Main Street. In 1931, the Fayette National Bank merged with another financial institution to become the First National Bank. The building takes either moniker.

This post appeared on KyForward on July 6, 2011.

Bibliography
Lexington Herald, Lexington Leader (local.lexpublib.org)
National Register, “Fayette National Bank Building“

walkLEX: Downtown’s Little Green Camel

The Zero Mile Marker – Lexington, Ky.

Where the once mighty Phoenix Hotel stood, the Phoenix Park “rose from the ashes” of the old hotel and failed World Coal Center development. In the northwest corner of the park, at the corner of East Main Street and South Limestone, a barefooted traveler looks eastward from his perch atop his camel. With his heavy bags, this Bedouin traveler makes no progress despite giving great perspective to others.

When driving on interstates and highways, do you wonder how the transportation authorities determine how many miles it is to Lexington? With Lexington’s city limits extending to the county line, the distance would vary depending on the direction of your approach. A constant is needed and this camel is that constant. It also is the point that determines whether a Lexington road is east or west, north or south. It is the center of Lexington. Sort of.

This supposed constant has been located in three different locations around downtown Lexington. Originally, a granite marker was dedicated by the Lexington Automobile Association on November 20, 1926, in front of the grand Union Station on Main Street (at Walnut, now MLK Blvd, St.). The Bedouin and his camel atop the granite stone was a gift from William Ingram, the then-owner of the Lexington Granite Company, who was the artist who created the bronze statue.

In 1961, the Union Station was demolished and the zero mile marker was removed to the courthouse lawn. The marker was again moved in 1990 to its present location, though its base (and the language on it) was replaced. Removing the language which mirrored the Washington, DC zero-mile marker, “Starting Point from Lexington On All Highways” to include a reference only to the “Zero Milestone,” the marker also boasts its new location: “Phoenix Park.”

This post appeared on KyForward on July 11, 2011.

Bibliography
Art Inventories Catalog
Lexington Herald-Leader (local.lexpublib.org)

walkLEX: Robert Patterson Cabin at Transylvania University

Patterson Cabin – Lexington, Ky.

On Third Street, just east of Broadway, is a fantastic log cabin that dates to 1783. If this date is correct, the cabin would be one year older than the “oldest house in Lexington” – the Adam Rankin House. In Lexington: Heart of the Bluegrass, the claim is disputed altogether: the Patterson Cabin was likely not the first cabin built outside the blockhouse, but was one of about 30 cabins built around the same time. Still, it is the only surviving cabin… so symbolically, it is the first.

The cabin itself was built by and belonged to pioneer Robert Patterson who was among those who settled Royal Springs (Georgetown), Lexington, and later, Cincinnati (Ohio). Born in Pennsylvania, Patterson was only 22 years old when he set out with a group to explore the wilderness. Leaving Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh) in 1775, the group ultimately established a fort which would become Georgetown. Patterson went to the fort at Harrodsburg before returning to Fort Pitt for additional ammunition in 1776.

After returning to Kentucky, he led a group of 25 men in 1779 to construct a blockhouse which would become the basis for Lexington. Four years later, Patterson felt it sufficiently safe to erect a cabin outside the walls of the blockhouse for himself and his growing family (not that the blockhouse would provide much further protection; it was torn down in 1783) [Lexington Leader, 5/25/1951]. It is unclear how long Patterson lived in the cabin, but we do know that he and his wife (married in 1780) had eleven children.

In 1782, Patterson was second-in-command at the Battle of Blue Licks, a bloody battle which he survived. In 1788, Patterson formed a partnership in which he received a one-third ownership of the town site of Cincinnati, Ohio. But Patterson did not relocate to Cincinnati; he continued to serve Kentucky in various political roles until 1800 (his political career had begun in 1781).

Patterson sold his Kentucky landholdings and moved to Dayton in the same year that Ohio achieved statehood, 1803. His cabin followed in 1901.

That’s right! According to a 1901 announcement in the Bourbon News, “The old log cabin…has been purchased by John H. Patterson, President of the National Cash Register Company, and is being removed to Dayton, Ohio.” The Lexington Leader confirmed:

The work of tearing down and loading the old Patterson cabin on the cars was completed yesterday, and the car was started last night to Dayton, where the old structure will be re-erected near the scene of Col. Patterson’s conflict with the Indians, on the Pickaway plains. [10/9/1901]

On May 5, 1906, the Lexington Leader followed up on the old Lexington landmark:

John H. Patterson, of Dayton, O., the famous National Cash Register man, has just issued an attractive brochure in gray and gold, which tells the story of the historic log cabin built by his ancestors in Lexington over a century ago, which he bought a few years and removed to Dayton, and rebuilt on a part of the ground adjoining his splendid home in the suburbs of that city.

Kaintuckeeans rejoice – the cabin is back! The City Commisioners of Dayton voted to return the cabin to its origin: Lexington. Transylvania College would be the recipient and the old cabin was relocated to its present location [Lexington Herald-Leader, 5/18/1939]. Transylvania was a fitting place for the Cabin as it rests on part of Patterson’s original 400 acre tract of Lexington. Patterson also was a trustee of the college.

In 1951, a great restoration of the cabin occurred as a joint effort of Transylvania University, the State Highway Department and the Kentucky Historical Society. As one can imagine, several of the old logs had rotted through. Timber was felled from the Natural Bridge area and transported to the cabin for repair. [Lexington Leader, 7/16/1951]. Another restoration followed in 1976 to this great landmark of Lexington.

You can see the rest of my pictures of the Patterson Cabin on flickr.

This post was republished by KyForward.com on June 23, 2011.

Bibliography
Kentucky Digital Newspaper Program
Kentucky Encyclopedia, “Patterson, Robert“
Lexington Herald-Leader/Leader from local.lexpublib.org

walkLEX: Maxwell Place

Each month, the Bluegrass Trust for Historic Preservation offers a deTour to visit a local historic site that has been well-preserved and restored. Please join us on our next deTour. Details on Facebook!

Maxwell Place – Lexington, Ky.

On a very warm afternoon in early June, we gathered on the circular driveway of a brick Italianate villa nestled in the center of the UK campus – right between the Guignol Theatre and the Chem-Phys Building. While architecturally unique and impressive in its own right, Maxwell Place particularly stands out between its mid-20th century neighbors.

Our guide was none other than First Lady Patsy Todd – a wonderful woman who, with her husband President Lee Todd, have led the University of Kentucky since 2001. One of the couple’s first tasks upon arriving at Maxwell Place in 2001 was to have the hedges that surrounded the property removed, allowing visitors, including students, to wander through the grounds. It was a big change welcomed by the students!

Maxwell Place is a storied place in Lexington’s history. Its name comes from Maxwell Springs – a natural spring that was one of three that crossed near the property before feeding the Town Branch of the Elkhorn Creek. The present Guignol Theatre rests above Maxwell Springs and some memory of the old water features exists in the low-lying areas just south of the University’s Student Center. Henry Clay once said, “No man can call himself a gentleman of Kentucky until he has watered his horse at Maxwell Springs.”

Maxwell Springs received its name from the area’s landowner, John Maxwell. Maxwell was one of Lexington’s earliest pioneers and, it is said, he named the original encampment at McConnell Springs “Lexington” after the recent Revolutionary War victory. With a 1,000 acre tract acquired from fellow pioneer Robert Patterson, Maxwell owned much of what became southeeast Lexington.

During the Civil War, the present-day University campus was occupied by Federal troops and its trees were felled for heating fuel. The owner of the land, the Maxwell Springs Company, couldn’t keep up its payments during the War and in 1870 the entire parcel was sold in a judicial sale.

The “most active and influential” of city councilmen, Dennis Mulligan, led the City of Lexington to acquire the majority of the land at the sale for use as a City Park, while he individually purchased a narrow strip of land on Rose Street. Mulligan, it should be noted, was an Irish Catholic political boss and many believe it was his political machine which boss Billy Klair would later steer and perfect.

On this narrow strip, Mulligan built for his son a wedding gift: Maxwell Place. The son, James Hilary Mulligan, would serve in a number of political offices in Kentucky, in Washington and abroad. As Speaker of the Kentucky House, Mulligan would retain the services of a young Billy Klair as his page. Mulligan is best remembered, however, for a poetic speech he delivered at the old Phoenix Hotel in Lexington in 1902 entitled, In Kentucky . A copy of the poem hangs in the library at Maxwell Place.

Lexington, vying for the state university and facing strong competition from a Bowling Green bid, offered its old Maxwell Springs land and the rest is University of Kentucky history. The Mulligan family sold its 13 acres, including Maxwell Place, to the University in 1917 for $40,000.

The original architect of Maxwell Place is unknown, though it is believed to have been either Thomas Boyd of Pittsburgh, Pa. or Phelix L. Lundin of Lexington. The two-and-a-half Italianate has been added to and remodeled throughout the years, but many of its original features remain intact. One of its most iconic additions is the arts-and-crafts pergola that stretches from the residence to the circular drive.

Maxwell Place has been the home to many University of Kentucky presidents during its service to the University. It has also been the host destination for many visitors and dignitaries, including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt who stayed at house in 1934. Despite its storied past, Maxwell Place faced its critics: in the late 1960s, Maxwell Place was slated for demolition as part of the University’s development plan. Fortunately, an effort to preserve the historic structure succeeded so that we can enjoy this property today. Soon Eli Capilouto, the 12th University of Kentucky President, will call Maxwell Place home.

You can check out more pictures of Maxwell Place on my flickr account.

Bibliography
Bossism and Reform in a Southern City: Lexington, Kentucky, 1880-1940
Kentucky Encyclopedia, “John Maxwell” and “Maxwell Springs“
Lexington Herald, p. 1. Oct.18, 1967. (local.lexpublib.org)
National Register of Historic Places, “Maxwell Place”

walkLEX: Soup Perkins Alley and the Last “Old-Time Southern Negro Jockey”

The new “Soup Perkins Aly” in Lexington, Ky.

There is a good reason why I’ve never noticed Soup Perkins Alley before. It’s because it didn’t exist a month ago. On May 5, 2011, Mayor Gray signed Res. 152-2011 which, in part, renamed a portion of Morris Alley to Soup Perkins Alley. But who is Soup Perkins?

Source

James “Soup” Perkins was a jockey who began racing at age 11 at a northern Kentucky race track situated in Latonia (near Covington and Newport) [*]. In 1895, he rode Halma to a win in the Kentucky Derby. After the race, the 90-pound African-American was asked his age; he replied, “going on sixteen.” At 15, Soup Perkins and Alonzo Clayton share distinction of being the youngest jockeys to win the Kentucky Derby.

Perkins got his nickname because he was known to love a bowl of soup. And he could afford to feed his small frame; his riding contract paid $5,000 annually. This is equal to an annual income of over $600,000 today!

In 1880, James Perkins was born in Lexington to former slaves of Major Flournoy. On the opening day of races at the old Kentucky Association track, October 16, 1893, Perkins rode five horses to victory before “a large crowd.” [Lexington Morning Transcript, p. 1. 10/17/1893]. The morning paper reported again on Perkins’ victories a few days later: “James “Soup” Perkins rode 5 winners yesterday and finished second on another mount. He is a 13-year-old colored boy.” [Lexington Morning Transcript, p. 1. 10/21/1893].

After his derby win in 1895, however, things began to unravel for Perkins. In 1897, Newport (Ky.) racing officials disqualified him from taking any mounts. [Lexington Leader, p. 2. 5/2/1897]. Later that year, his brother, Frank Perkins, “became suddenly insane” while lodging in Cincinnati. [Lexington Leader, p. 5. 10/9/1897].

By 1899, James “Soup” Perkins’ racing career was over and was described in the past tense: “at one time one of the most prominent jockeys in the West.” [Lexington Leader, p. 4. 8/25/1899]. His death was reported by the Lexington Leader in a section entitled Colored Notes: “James S. Perkins, the famous jockey, better known as “Soup” Perkins, departed this life Wednesday, August 10, 71 York street, Hamilton, Canada, at the Daniel Hotel. He was aged 33 years, five months, 12 days. The immediate cause of his death was heart failure.” [Lexington Leader, p.7. 8/21/1911]. His body was brought back to Lexington for burial at what is now the African Cemetery No. 2.

With his death, it was pronounced that “the last of the old-time Southern Negro jockeys passed away.” [Lexington Leader, p. 10. 9/12/1911.].

kernel: Kentucky Architectural Photo Gallery

Robert W. Tebbs Photographs at the Lexington Public Library – Central Branch Gallery

I just happened upon an excellent collection of photographs in the gallery at the downtown branch of the Lexington Public Library. The photos were taken by the British architectural photographer Robert W. Tebbs (1875-1945). All are of excellent examples of Kentucky architecture, though not all of the photographed structures remain. It really is a collection worth seeing! Presented by the Filson Historical Society and Clay Lancaster’s Warwick Foundation, the highlight evening will be next Friday’s gallery hop (June 17, 5:00 – 8:00). But you can enjoy Tebbs’ work during regular library hours anytime through June 19th.

The Library often has a great collection in its gallery; check out the remaining 2011 schedule.

walkLEX: Graham Cottage

Graham Cottage – Lexington, Ky.

In antebellum Kentucky, education was a priority for many. In Hustonville in 1854, James M. Hocker formed a Christian College for women. It was the first all-female college this side of the Appalachian Mountains. After the Civil War, he relocated his “Hocker College” to a six acre tract on the west side of North Broadway in Lexington [*]. There, he called upon another leader in the Stone-Campbell restoration movement, Robert Graham, to assume the presidency of the institution. The residence pictured above was constructed in that year, 1869, as the college president’s home. Graham resigned in 1875 and, following a large donation, the college was renamed Hamilton College (I bet you can guess the donor’s last name!?).

By 1889, Transylvania University had taken an interest in the small college near its own campus and, in 1903, Transy converted Hamilton College into its own junior college before dissolving the institution entirely in 1932. The main building of Hocker/Hamilton was an impressive four-story brick Italianate that was repurposed as a women’s dormitory at Transy until the structure was demolished in 1962.

Today, the only remaining part of the Hocker/Hamilton College days is the Graham Cottage. Hardly a cottage, this stately home would serve as the home of four presidents of Transylvania University before the University began using the Cottage as an alumni house.

Speaking of alumni, one notable alumni of Hamilton College was Maurine Dallas Watkins, the scriptwriter who created the characters Roxie Hart and Velma Kelley for Chicago in 1926. Of course, the story was remade into a film in 1942 (with Ginger Rogers) and readapted as a musical (and a blockbuster film) in the past decade.

The Graham Cottage was described by Clay Lancaster as an “interesting antiquity” [*] and is one of three truly historic buildings standing on the campus of Transylvania University, the others being Old Morrison and the Patterson Cabin.

This post was republished on KyForward.com on June 8, 2011.

NoD: A Kentucky of a Place

Looking across the Kentucky River into Fayette County – Madison Co., Ky.

I decided to get off of Interstate 75 as I approached Lexington from the south. Good decision. I wanted to enter into Fayette County using the old Clays Ferry Bridge, but I discovered a lot more. I took the “Clays Ferry” exit in northern Madison County and began zig-zagging my descent toward the Kentucky River on the old Lexington Road.

And then I saw the scenic overlook. I pulled to the side of the road and remembered why an 18th century Baptist preacher, when asked to describe heaven, said that “Heaven is a Kentucky of a place.” I’ve recognized this before, but never so close to Lexington.

The Kentucky River was high and clearly visible with the late-afternoon sun glistening off its pool. Everything else – verdant abundance on the hills and descending into the river valley. Aside from the ribbon of pavement at my feet, there was no indication that this pristine spot had been touched.

Yes, the preacher-man surely was right: “Heaven is a Kentucky of a place.”