Tag: Fayette

Explore Gratz Park at Tonight’s #BGTdeTours

“A full book could be written on the structures that stand (or once stood) in and around Gratz Park. Most notably, the primary structure of what is now Transylvania University once stood in the center of the park. Designed by architect Matthew Kennedy, the three-story academic building was constructed in 1816 but burnt to the ground in 1829. After the fire, Transylvania retreated to the north side of Third Street.”

That’s a snippet from Chapter 1 of Lost Lexington – a chapter that discussed the Hart-Bradford House that once stood on the southwest corner of Second and Mill streets until its demolition in favor of a parking lot in 1955.

In the wake of that demolition, a committed group of committed citizens came together to organize what would become The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation. And the city of Lexington established Gratz Park as the city’s first historic district three years later in 1958.

The effort to preserve the structures around Gratz Park, an effort begun by the 1955 demolition of the Hart-Bradford House, jumpstarted the historic preservation movement in central Kentucky.

For this month’s BGT deTour, we’ll explore the history of Gratz Park with guide Carolyn Hackworth, the leader of www.lexwwalkingtour.com. If you make it, please help the BGT promote the event before, during and after the deTour by using #BGTdeTours on social media! Thanks!

In the words of Kentucky architectural historian Clay Lancaster, “the park has charm, atmosphere, a sense of tranquility and of history, and it provides an oasis of planting tucked into the cityscape.”

And it has a lot of history.

After Gratz Park, the group will retire for a house tour of the newly-restored Thomas Hunt Morgan House where light refreshments will serve as tonight’s AfterHour. Thomas Hunt Morgan grew up in this ca. 1870 McMurtry-designed Italiantate which has had multiple additions, notably an auditorium (ca. 1912) and dining hall (ca. 1970) have left many more square feet than originally included in the McMurtry design. Utilized for many years by the Women’s Club of Central Kentucky, the house was deeded to the BGT in 2014 reuniting two parcels of John Wesley Hunt’s property once again. For more on the Thomas Hunt Morgan House and Nobelaureate Thomas Hunt Morgan, click here.

And although an RSVP isn’t necessary, you can join the event on Facebook:

The award-winning BGT deTours program is designed to provide tours of places you might not normally get to see, helping people interact with and learn about sites that make the Bluegrass special. For young professionals (and the young at heart!), deTours are always the first Wednesday* of the month at 5:30 pm*, and are always free and open to the public (*exception being holidays, weather and out-of-county locations).

Centrepointe: A Perspective from 2008 to the Present

A version of Centrepointe. EOP Architects.

Centrepointe.


I was a law clerk when I paused for a few moments to observe part of the press conference that was streaming online from the website of a local news station. Then-mayor Jim Newberry stood alongside developers, together announcing a massive development in the heart of Lexington. The proposed structure would soar high above the city and become the tallest building in the city.

I wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of losing a block of our downtown core, but I could see promise in what was being proposed. I hoped (perhaps too optimistically) that our national economic struggle would not be as prolonged as it turned out to be.

But I also wasn’t as committed to the cause of preservation then as I am today. Although I grew up in a historic house in downtown Lexington and, as I’ve often said, “history is in the genes,” I didn’t then consider the full weight of losing a block of early to mid-19th century commercial structures in the heart of the city.

Asa Chinn’s 1920 Lexington. A view of South Upper. UK Libraries. 

None of the buildings was individually grand. And the block was already the victim in several spots of former demolitions.

My book, Lost Lexington, bears this out. While many of the photos in the book are from my own collection, I don’t have a photologue of the pre-demolition Centrepointe block. Unfortunately, the preservation of the Centrepointe block wasn’t on my radar and/or I was blinded by the project’s promise.

As is often the case, hindsight is 20/20.

Fast forward to the following spring when I would graduate from law school. I like to tell the story of how the Kaintuckeean began: as a drive with no destination through the beautiful countryside of Kentucky. It rekindled a love of history … and of historic preservation. Studying for the bar exam was broken up with moments of relaxation: escapist drives and explorations around the Bluegrass.

And after passing the bar and being sworn in as a new lawyer, I looked forward to the future. But through all of this, Centrepointe had evolved from a block-sized hole in the ground to a summery swamp. Every walk to court during my legal career has taken me past a variant of the post-demolition Centrepointe block.

During the 2010 mayoral election of 2010, Centrepointe was a major campaign issue. The mayor that had stood by the Centrepointe developers at its onset was defeated by the vice-mayor who had opposed demolition without a strong plan to move forward and who supported design guidelines to ensure a vibrant downtown.

The promise of the World Equestrian Games, in 2010, gave us CentrePasture. And the city took advantage of the grassy knoll. With the property owners’ blessing, the city enjoyed the temporary park during festivals and for ‘Polo in the Park’.

“Progress” on the block consisted of various design proposals being provided to the public and discussions of insufficient funding to proceed. As these events unfolded and the promises were repeated, I became more wary of the story. What was once optimism was replaced by pessimism.

I had lost faith in a project that showed promise. And I felt duped that I hadn’t really stood up for the buildings that were lost in the first place … especially since there was no real plan to move forward.

In October 2014, I celebrated 5 years as a lawyer. A month later, I celebrated the launch of my book, Lost Lexington. On the cover of the book is the pit of Centrepointe in the foreground with both the historic 1898 courthouse and the Fayette National Bank Building occupying the cover’s background. If you haven’t picked up a copy, and you’ve read this far through this post … you probably ought to. Click here for details on where to find a copy!

I wrote the book to share the backstories of Lexington’s past that might be lost just like the physical places where they once occurred. The story is not just historical – it is about doing something to preserve the physical culture of a place.

With the buildings lost, I acknowledge that nothing can return the block to her historic past. Acknowledging as much in Lost Lexington, I continued to hang on to a shred of optimism about the Centrepointe project. In Chapter 2, I wrote

Earthmoving equipment dug deep, only yards away from where the Town Branch still flows, in order to create space for the proposal’s underground parking. Above the parking garage will be a collection of buildings of varying heights and modern architectural styles. Although none will possess the monolithic scale first proposed, nothing can return the block to her historic past.

So while the earthmoving equipment dug deep into Lexington’s core and timed explosions were set off sending reverberations throughout the heart of the city, the “buildings of varying heights and modern architectural styles” remain unbuilt. Hell, the underground parking garage isn’t even a reality!

A sense that the project might finally take another step forward occurred in December 2014 when two massive cranes were installed on the block ready to begin the heavy lifting of construction.

Through Christmas the cranes sat. Then came a difficult and challenging winter during which the cranes continued to sit. April showers may bring May flowers, but they haven’t brought activity to the block.

Witnessing these idle cranes sparked my poetic side as they emerged from the depths of the earth only as idle sculpture and not as the powerful tools they are intended. I wrote

High o’er our city
tow’ring cranes idle they stand
What will happen here?

What will happen here? We now appear to be at the precipice of what could be nasty and prolonged litigation between the developers and the city. If it comes to this, undoubtedly bricks will be thrown. The people of Lexington and downtown development will be held hostage. There will be no winners from this course of action; we will all be losers.

But let’s be honest with ourselves. Lexington already lost. We lost this battle in 2008 when we allowed demolition to occur without a clear path forward. We lost in 2010 when the world came to town for the World Equestrian Games and our city’s center was little more than a blank canvas. Now the 2015 Breeders Cup will bring much attention and many first-time visitors to our city, but if they look too closely at its center they will find only a deep, deep pit.

There’s a lot of finger pointing that can be done. It’s been going on for as long as this project hasn’t. But finger pointing will accomplish even less than the litigation might.

Hopefully, the community will learn from Centrepointe. It seems like, to some extent, we have. Lexington has introduced some additional layers of protection in parts of the community while the preservation community has been rejuvenated.

This is important. And though there will continue to be physical losses in the community for a myriad of reasons, it is important that we not lose sight that “each building has a story that contributes to our human history.”

“We must understand and preserve our history in order to better understand ourselves.” From the book’s introduction, that’s basically the thesis of Lost Lexington. We failed ourselves with the demolition of the Centrepointe block, and we can only hope that the parties put Lexington first and that a highest and best use for the block, complete with an excellent design, becomes the block’s future.

ALERT: Peoples Bank Scheduled for Morning Demolition??

A new Facebook group, People for the Peoples, has issued the following alert: “We have just been alerted that demolition of the Peoples Bank in Lexington, Kentucky is slated for the morning of Thursday, April 30.”

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We have just been alerted that demolition of the Peoples Bank in Lexington, Kentucky is slated for the morning of…
Posted by People for the Peoples on Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Please follow People for the Peoples! 
Support their campaign for this important building!

It was only Tuesday night when the Blue Grass Trust hosted Sarah Tate and a panel discussion on midcentury modern architecture. What a travesty it would be to lose one of Lexington’s finest examples of the period at this time. And for what cause?

It is my understanding that demolition permit was issues some time ago for this property, though preservation considerations had seemed to carry the day. Just a couple weeks ago, moving the structure was discussed and promoted by several parties as it could become the home for a local non-profit. See Herald-Leader.

This was only a couple weeks ago. What has changed? Why the rush to demolish?

Give the Peoples a chance.

Some Harry, Willy Shotguns Demolished in Lexington [DEMO WATCH]

Top: 505, 511, and 513 Willy Street. Bottom: 530 and 532 Harry Street. Shotguns demolished in April 2015.
Source photos: Fayette PVA

A recent column by Tom Eblen indicates that parts of Lexington’s aged housing stock is being adapted, repurposed, and given new life. And although much of the historic qualities of the home’s being remodeled may be lost, the overall streetscape is being enhanced as are the values of the properties.

Of course, these transitions create another potential problem. Increased property values can make it too costly for longtime residents to remain in the neighborhood. As Lexington struggles with finding suitable and adequate affordable housing opportunities, a balance must be struck.

But five properties were recently not afforded such the opportunity to be rehabilitated. Three shotguns on Willy Street and another two on Harry Street have been recently demolished after earning a demo permit from the city.

Willy Street

Built in 1900, 505 Willy Street was the oldest of the 5 shotguns demolished. And at 704 square feet, it was also the largest. The other two Willy Street shotguns were each built ca. 1910 according to PVA records, though they do appear on the 1907 Sanborn map and are thus older than originally believed.

On today’s map, Willy Street is an “L” shaped road that connects Smith Street and Fifth Street. The legal description of each of these properties includes a reference to “Wallace’s Lot.” This, according to the Lexington Streetsweeper, is a reference to a plat recorded at Cabinet E-19 on May 11, 1889 by John B. Wallace as he was dividing the property on which his Sixth Street Home stood (450 W. Sixth). According to the 1907 Sanborn Map, the portion of Willy Street that intersects Smith Street used to be known as Alford Street while the portion intersecting Fifth Street was once known as Hanson Street.

The only reference found in the local newspaper archives to any of these three addresses is from the Lexington Leader‘s “colored notes” of December 3, 1912. It reads that “William Finch, a highly respected citizen, aged 37 years, who died Monday at his late residence, 513 Alford street, leaves a wife, daughter, mother, two sisters, three brothers to mourn their loss.”

Harry Street

The narrow alley of Harry Street lies behind North Limestone on the highways west side, extending for one block to both the north and south of Sixth Street. Along Harry Street, two structures were recently demolished. Both single-story structures were constructed in the shotgun style with two bays: one window and a door apiece. According to PVA records, each residence was 12′ x 48′ in dimension with both having a 5′ deep covered front porch.

In terms of layout, the Harry Street shotguns were mirror images of one another. Both were constructed in 1910 and each had a 544 square foot floor plan with four rooms including a single bedroom and a single bath.

The house at 530 Harry was nearly destroyed once before: a 1925 fire destroyed a neighboring structure and left the vacant 530 Harry in poor repair. It appears, however, to have been rebuilt following that instance. In October 1931, the “colored notes” of the Lexington Leader identify John Johnson as having lived and died at his residence in this home, noting that burial would be “in a family lot in Taterstown cemetery in Bourbon county.” A decade later, the newspapers’ “colored notes” observed the death of another of the home’s occupants: Rev. Levi Garner. Rev. Garner is interred at Highland Cemetery which today is nestled between the Forbes Rd. stockyards and the Town Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Captain Wilgus’ Italian Villa, known as Parker Place, on deTour Wednesday Night in Lexington

John B. Wilgus House (aka Parker Place) at 511 W. Short St., Lexington. Mary Sloan.

It is rare to find such a plot of land in downtown Lexington, but there is the Parker Place on West Short Street. Once part of a much larger tract owned by Eliza Parker, the grandmother of Mary Todd Lincoln, the land was later acquired by Captain John B. Wilgus.

Capt. Wilgus, a Unionist during the Civil War, led the Lexington Blues. The Lexington Blues was a homeguard unit, the so-called ‘army of last resort’, purposed with protecting the life and property of the Union supporters in the event of an invasion by the Rebels. In business, Capt. Wilgus was active in various efforts and was a successful grocer and banker in Lexington.

In 1870, Capt. Wilgus retained John McMurtry to build, and likely design, an Italianate villa in Lexington’s Western Suburb on land he had acquired in the mid-1850s. Before Wilgus’ acquisition, McMurtry operated both a lumber yard and carpentry shop on the site.

Exterior of the Octagonal Room at Parker Place. Mary Sloan. 

The design included an octagonal room on the two-story villa’s western side – a room that housed Wilgus’ extensive art collection. Following his death, the collection was auctioned off. At that time, the Lexington Leader described the collection as including “rare foreign and American paintings” as well as “the celebrated marble bust and pedestal of Augustus Caesar by Joel T. Hart.”

You may recall the name Joel T. Hart as being the noted Kentucky sculptor, born in Winchester, who spent much of his life in Italy. One of his noted works, Woman Triumphant, was destroyed when the old (fourth) Fayette County Courthouse was destroyed by fire in May 1897.

Capt. Wilgus himself succombed to cancer of the jaw in 1889. His condition had been the subject of the news, as reported on by the Lexington Leader, in yet another reminder of the style of the news from yesteryear: Mr Wilgus “has suffered with a growth on his face … He consented to a dangerous operation to remove the tumor this morning.”

The house itself was sold a few years before Wilgus’ death. It changed hands several times before it was acquired by the Lexington Orphans Society, which being established in 1833, was one of the oldest such societies in the nation. Parker Place served as an orphanage from 1907 until 1975.

The property, as noted above is within the Western Historic Suburb of Lexington and is included on the neighborhood’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register application describes Parker Place as being “by far the largest scale and most elaborate residential building in the neighborhood.”

On Wednesday, April 1, 2015, the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation’s deTour program will tour Parker Place. The group will begin gathering at 5:30 p.m. and parking is available behind St. Paul’s Catholic Church or behind the Greentree Tea Room. More details are available here. The event is free and open to the public.

Lexington’s Centrepointe in Haiku

Every now and then, I dabble in poetry. As I drove past the Centrepointe block with its idle cranes, I wondered what will happen here? And when?

A quick haiku came to mind:

High o’er our city
tow’ring cranes idle they stand
What will happen here?

[Do you have a poetic bone in your body? I’d love to read (and hopefully share with other readers) your Centrepointe poems! Please post them in the comments!]

In October 2014, headlines read that “Crane causing delay for Lexington’s CentrePointe project.” But by mid-December, the cranes were being installed.

Representatives for the developers suggested that “the next phase of construction would have to wait until the tower crane can be delivered and secured on the site” according to a Herald-Leader article. Repeat: the crane installations occurred a full three months ago. And still…

Idle they stand.

In my book, Lost Lexington, the historic block of Centrepointe block fills an entire chapter. And I’ve written about it frequently here on the Kaintuckeean. You can skim through my earlier Centrepointe posts here.

Don’t forget to leave your Centrepointe poetry in the comments!

Demo Watch: Shotgun Houses on Lexington’s Jefferson Street

Clockwise from upper left: 440, 444, 448, and 446 Jefferson Street. 

Demolition permits have been filed to tear down four shotgun houses, each built ca. 1890, along the increasingly popular Jefferson Street corridor on Lexington, Kentucky’s northside.

As noted last week in another demolition watch, the “single-story shotgun is one of a dying breed.” These four shotgun houses were constructed a short time after the Warfield Bell Subdivision was platted. Located between Fourth and Sixth streets on both sides of Jefferson (plus Fifth and Sixth on both sides of Smith Street Extended), the subdivision consisted of 113 lots. It was the city’s first subdivision of 100+ lots.

I can’t find a proposal of what will replace these dwellings. Though at least one has been abandoned for some time and another is the site of multiple nuisance violations in the past few years, these houses did provide affordable housing in Lexington for 125 years.

And a quick note from last week’s Demo Watch: I posted a Watch for 3 structures already demolished. Mea culpa. I received word of the filing of the demolition permits on March 17 and posted three days later. The permits were, however, filed earlier. There isn’t much I can do about that, but I will continue to try and post Demo Watch posts. If a structure has already been demolished, at least something will remain written of it.

The permits for the above four shotguns on Jefferson Street, according to the Citygram I received, were filed on March 20. As of this morning, they hadn’t been demolished though it appears that the fire department has been doing some practice on the roofs of a few of the structures.

Demo Watch: Permits sought to demolish 4 structures near University of Kentucky campus

Demolition permits have been sought at these four Lexington, Kentucky properties. Individual images from Fayette PVA.

On March 9, demolition permits were sought for three structures on Euclid Avenue. Permits for wrecking the structures at 626, 630 and 634 Euclid Avenue would pave the way for a development already announced. The location is opposite Marquis from the new Euclid Kroger on its one end and a three story brick-and-glass commercial structure (The Ashland Building).

And while Euclid once had a number of single family residences along its way, the area has transformed into a more intensive use. Though these structures, built in the first half of the 20th century, were once representative of the homes along this avenue, they now seem almost out of place.

The history of this stretch of road can be told quickly through a few newspaper articles. In July 1903, the Lexington Leader announced that “the work of grading Euclid Avenue in the Aylesford division has been commenced and when macadamized will furnish the shortest route from the Tates Creek Pike to State College.” Once the road was paved, houses like the ones proposed for demolition sprung up on what became a residential corridor. In 1920, the road was designated a boulevard and paved with asphalt. But in June 1987, the Herald-Leader found that Euclid Avenue was “an expanding commercial thoroughfare that leads to Chevy Chase” and that it “may be designated a business corridor.”

The site is proposed to now become a retail and restaurant space; the development plan, also submitted to the city, can be accessed here. The map below shows its location, with the corner of Euclid Kroger poking from the bottom of the map.

Additionally, a demolition permit for 171 Montmullin was filed on March 11. This single-story shotgun is one of a dying breed. The one-bedroom, one-bath home is only 568 square feet. Built in 1910, it represents an architectural style once prominent in various parts of Lexington and other communities. Rapidly, however, progress is marking the end of the the shotgun style. Each year, more and more shotguns are being demolished.

Montmullin Street is located in the Pralltown neighborhood, which is the oldest historically African American neighborhood in Lexington. By 1940, it contained over 200 homes but has been “an ongoing battle to prevent the neighborhood from becoming a new housing area” for UK students for the past twenty years. Unlike the UK fight song, this battle has not been won and the demolition of 171 Montmullin marks another loss to the disappearing Pralltown.

Lexington’s Newest Disappearing Neighborhood

Site of Shriners Hospital on South Limestone. Author’s Collection.

Groundbreaking on Shriner’s Hospital. U. of Ky.

Earlier this week, the University of Kentucky and the local Shriners Hospital for Children broke ground for a new hospital facility that will be located opposite South Limestone from the UK Medical Center in Lexington. The project is anticipated to take 22 months to complete and the cost is estimated at $47 million. The new Shriners facility will replace the existing 27-acre complex on Richmond Road that opened in 1955, though the Shriners began operating a hospital in Lexington in 1926. (That original Shriner’s Hospital was adjacent to and was later acquired by Good Samaritan Hospital at Maxwell and Harrison (later South Martin Luther King Blvd) streets. Good Samaritan was itself acquired by UK Healthcare in 2007.)

In 1925, Mrs. F. J. Conn “announced plans of constructing 100 homes on her property.” That property includes the site of the new Shriners hospital as well as the existing UK Healthcare parking structure.

Mrs. Conn’s husband, Frederick J. Conn, was the superintendent of bridges for the Southern Railway Company. Although the couple hailed from Illinois, Lexington city directories show them in Lexington since at least 1898. Mrs. Conn died in 1934 and Mr. Conn followed her in death in 1935.

He had escaped death on at least one occasion before: in 1908 he was electrocuted “at the overhead bridge on the Frankfort pike” according to the Lexington Leader.

Conn’s farm was bounded on the north by Transcript Avenue, the west by the then-Southern Railway tracks, and the east by South Limestone Street. A new street was constructed through the property; that street was named after Conn Terrace after the property’s owners.

According to an article in the Lexington Leader in August 1925, the development was not made for profit but the homes would be “sold at cost for the benefit of people in moderate circumstances who wish homes of their home.” Homes were to be built “as fast as there is demand for them.”

Birdseye View of South Limestone Dwellings. Author’s Collection.

The area was not within the city limits at the time and a 1939 real property survey of Lexington identifies a portion (though not all) of the development within the city limits. In the early to mid-1950s, Lexington expanded its boundaries southward to include South Limestone street from the then-city limits at Conn Terrace all the way to Rosemont Garden.

Before ground was broken on the site, I photographed the façades of each of these 1925-1950 dwellings that would in short time be lost from the fabric of Lexington. This is Lexington’s Newest Disappearing Neighborhood.

Conn Terrace

Birdseye View of 102-106 Conn Terrace. Author’s Collection.

The five dwellings on Conn Terrace, all part of the Conn Terrace development discussed above, have the loveliest scale of those being demolished. Of particular interest to me are the quaint structures at 102 and 106 Conn Terrace.

102 Conn Terrace. Author’s Collection.

104 Conn Terrace. Author’s Collection.

106 Conn Terrace. Author’s Collection. 106 Conn Terrace, ca. 1949. UK Libraries.

108 Conn Terrace. Author’s Collection.

110 Conn Terrace. Author’s Collection.

State Street

The three structures on State Street, as well as the three on Limestone Street, stood outside of the Conn plat. Each, however, offers a unique testimony and design to this old neighborhood.

109 State Street. Author’s Collection.
Kentucky Kernel Article on
Passing of Helen Stanley.
U. of Ky. Libraries.

109 State Street was the home of the University’s Recorder, Helen Stanley, from 1925 until the time of her death in 1937. Prior to her appointment as Recorder, she had worked in the registrar’s office since 1919. According to Prof. Gillis, Ms. Stanley was among one of the best recorders in the United States.

It is worth noting that State Street wasn’t always a site of off-campus housing and celebratory couch burnings. This area off of North Elizabeth Street was a middle-class neighborhood that offered “live where you work” opportunity to employees at the University.

For the past few decades, the presence of more and more students have made this area undesirable for the middle class. As the owner-occupied generation moved away, properties were sold to landlords. Some, though not all, of these landlords have added unsightly additions that irreversibly altered the neighborhood’s character long. Some, though not all, of the student residents exacerbated the problems of blight and decay.

While both the loss of these homes is disheartening and the continued “creep” of University developments is concerning, the use of this site by the Shriner’s simply makes sense.

113 State Street. Author’s Collection.

119  State Street. Author’s Collection.

123 State Street. Author’s Collection.

Limestone Street

Finally, note how different the three structures on Limestone Street are from the two roads running perpendicular to it. While a few of the structures on Conn Terrace and State Street have the scale of those on South Limestone, the dwellings facing the main road all were two-and-one-half stories to create a stronger presence along the highway.

1037 S. Limestone. Author’s Collection.

 1041 S. Limestone. Author’s Collection.

1045 S. Limestone. Author’s Collection.

deTour of the Carrick House

Carrick House. (Photos by Peter Brackney, arr. by Whitney Rhorer)

The residence located at 312 North Limestone was commissioned by James Weir shortly before he passed in 1832 “intestate, unmarried, and without issue” according to the papers of Henry Clay. A nephew carried both his uncle’s name and vision beyond the grave so that the house was completed by James Weir (the nephew) by the early 1850s.

The list of craftsman who contributed to the completion of the Weir House is extensive as set forth in Dunn’s Old Houses of Lexington:

Construction costs enumerated by the administrators reveal the interesting facts that William “King” Solomon, James Lane Allen’s hero of the cholera plague of 1833, dug the foundation and latrine; Samuel Long, who build the famous house ‘for two Merino sheep’ for Samuel Trotter, did the carpenter work; Lailey Moore & co. furnished the timbers for Shyrock’s columns, E. Howes did the ‘turning’ and Elliott also furnished materials for the “portico”; J. Enrock and also Seeley had bills for plank and scantling; Eblig supplied the brick, Nixon “blew the well,” and Schakelford furnished the marbling. In addition to the brick for the residence, Ebling supplied brick ‘for the kitchen.’

While some of these names are recognizable in the lore of Lexington history (King Solomon, for example), others are less notable but who undoubtedly had their hand in a number of structures built during Lexington’s rise as the Athens of the West.

A View of the Carrick House’s Portico from within. (Author’s Collection.)

The two story, three bay brick Weir House features a “massive double portico” and has a wing on either side. The wings, each two bays wide, were once a single story but were raised to two stories through the years. As noted above, the architectural design is attributed to Gideon Shryock though much John McMurtry completed much of the project.

A Snowy Day at Carrick House. (Author’s Collection.)

According to the state’s historic resources inventory, the Greek Revival mansion would have once had a front door in the same tradition “with sidelights and transom.”

At one time, the Weir property encompassed the land from 3rd to 4th streets from Limestone to Walnut. (Nota bene: Walnut is now Martin Luther King Blvd. on the north side of Main Street while “the road to Limestone” referred to what is now called Maysville when passing north beyond Third Street. To the south of Third Street, the townspeople then called the road Mulberry).

When the younger Weir abandoned Kentucky for Texas in 1852, the property passed to Judge Thomas Marshall. Marshall’s vitae included a professorship in law at Transylvania University, four terms in the U.S. Congress, a stint in the legislature in Frankfort, as well as 22 years on the Kentucky Court of Appeals (which was then the high court of the Commonwealth.)

After five years Marshall sold the house to another accomplished lawyer, Richard Buckner, who kept the house an even shorter time before selling the property to a well-known Lexingtonian: Henry T. Duncan, Sr. It would pass through that family and through other hands before it would be received by the family whose name the property today bares: Carrick.

In 1910, Dr. James Cantrill Carrick and his wife, Anna Pearce Carrick, acquired the property at the northeast corner of North Limestone and Third Streets. The couple resided there until Dr. Carrick passed in 1954; in 1955, the house was donated to Transylvania University in 1955. Quickly, Transylvania liquidated the asset to the Whitehall Funeral Chapel. The mansion served as a funeral home for the latter half of the twentieth century.

In 2007, Jerry Lundergan acquired the property and it was converted into an event space. A significant addition to the rear of the structure was added in 2011.

Tonight (Wednesday, March 4, 2015)(Update: due to weather, the event is being postponed one week to Wednesday, March 11), the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation’s monthly deTour program will feature a behind the scenes, full-access tour of the beautiful Carrick House. Come explore!