walkLEX – Page 9 – The Kaintuckeean

walkLEX: Prayer Garden in the City

Prayer Garden (Central Christian Church) - Lexington, Ky.

The Prayer Garden at Central Christian Church – Lexington, Ky.

I immediately thought of the first verse and chorus of C. Austin Miles’ 1912 hymn, I Come to the Garden Alone, when I walked into the prayer garden nestled outside Lexington’s Central Christian Church:

I come to the garden alone / while the dew is still on the roses / And the voice I hear falling on my ear / The Son of God discloses / And He walks with me, and He talks with me / And He tells me I am His own / And the joy we share as we tarry there / None other has ever known.

The entire concept of a prayer garden — a quiet, outside place designed entirely for reflection and contemplative thought — is one of my favorite church design features. Of course, a well-designed park can also provide a reflective and contemplative place to tarry.

The prayer garden at Central Christian Church is narrow and long. Walking up the pavers toward a statue of Jesus – his arms outstretched – is welcoming. Two benches sit for those wanting to linger. Although plantings were at a minimum, the simplicity of the design felt complete. Visible from Short Street, the garden provide a place of “rest… in the midst of onrushing and noisy living.”

Incomplete was the statue of Jesus. Whether the result of weather or vandalism, Jesus was missing an arm and on the other, a thumb. The statue, carved of carrara marble in Carrara, Italy, is a reproduction of The Christus which stands in the Church of our Lady of Copenhagen, Denmark. The sculptor of the Danish Christus was Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844); it depicts Jesus after the resurrection when he is calming his gathered disciples. “Peace be with you.” As legend goes, a man was disappointed upon seeing the statue but was reassured by a newsboy who told him, “Mister, you really can’t see his beauty unless you get down on your knees and look up into his face.”

More pictures of Central Christian Church’s Prayer Garden are available on flickr.

walkLEX: A Facelift for Historic Marker #3

Historic Marker #3 – Lexington, Ky.

In front of the Hunt-Morgan House, also known as Hopemont, at Lexington’s Gratz Park is a historic marker, number 3 in the Kentucky Historical Highway Marker Program, that reads:

Home of John Hunt Morgan, “Thunderbolt of the Confederacy.” Born Huntsville, Alabama, June 1, 1825. Killed Greeneville, Tennessee, September 4, 1864. Lieutenant, Kentucky Volunteers in Mexican War 1846-1847. Major General, C.S.A., 1861-1864.

Problem is, you can’t really read the Marker. Bronze Marker #3 is over fifty years old and, though its lettering has been repainted white more than once, it remains nearly illegible. The facts are a little misleading as well. While General Morgan certainly stayed at the house, calling it the “home of John Hunt Morgan” is a stretch. Further, the sign does nothing to recognize two other influential members of the family that called the Hunt-Morgan House home: John Wesley Hunt and Dr. Thomas Hunt Morgan.

So, the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation, the Morgan’s Men Association and several other groups and citizens are providing the $2,300 necessary to replace this sign with “updated text and an extended history.” The new sign is expected to be unveiled sometime in October. For more pictures of the historic marker and the Hunt Morgan House, click here.

Bibliography
BGT, email 8/9/2011
BGT, “Hunt Morgan House“
WUKY

walkLEX: Mount Hope

Mount Hope – Lexington, Ky.

Each of the residences in Gratz Park is beautiful and each has a terrific history. Mount Hope, a Federal two-story brick townhouse, was built in 1819 for General John McCalla, a hero of the War of 1812, who purchased the outlot on Mill Street from Thomas January. McCalla and his family would leave Lexington in 1832 for Washington, D.C. where McCalla had received a government appointment from President Polk.

General McCalla was an attorney who purchased and became the editor of The Kentucky Gazette (disputed to be the first newspaper west of the Alleghenies) in 1824. McCalla would also serve as the U.S. Marshal for Kentucky.

McCalla’s son, Dr. John Moore McCalla, Jr., was likely born at Mount Hope. He would go on to serve as the United States’ agent aboard the Star of the Union where he would ensure that the contract between the United States and the American Colonization Society was properly executed. The ACS sought to return slaves in America to Africa, the ultimate effect being the creation of Liberia. At hand was the return of 383 slaves who had been rescued aboard the slaveship Bogota.

Back to the house.

McCalla sold it in 1824, the same year he acquired The Kentucky Gazette, to Benjamin Gratz for whom Gratz Park was named. Mount Hope would remain in the hands of the Gratz family until 1984.

Benjamin Gratz was a successful hemp merchant whose family was famed for trading along the Philadelphia-Lexington-St. Louis Circuit. His vitae is impressive: “He was a part of nearly every beginning enterprise; was one of the incorporators of the City of Lexington, the hard surfaced Maysville Road, the Northern Bank of Kentucky, the Louisville & Ohio Railroad; and contributed materially to the location of the University of Kentucky in Lexington.”

Benjamin’s sister, Rebecca Gratz of Philadelphia, was a regular visitor to Mount Hope. She was a prominent educator and philanthropist who was the first female Jewish college student in the United States. It is believed that her charm caused Sir Walter Scott, upon introduction by mutual friend Washington Irving, to model his Ivanhoe character Rebecca of York after her. Hardly a spinster, Rebecca never married but allegedly turned down one suitor – a Gentile – because of her faith. She was known as the “foremost American Jewess of her day.”

Fluted window frames on Mt. Hope

This five-bay Flemish bond brick has been said to be an excellent example of the “outstanding craftsmanship of early Kentucky brickmasons.” A notable feature, quite unusual for Lexington architecture, is the fluted window frames that have “carved corner blocks like interior woodwork” (pictured). In 1841, the architect John McMurtry designed an enlargement onto the rear of stately Mount Hope, which is also referred to as the Benjamin Gratz House.

More pictures of Mount Hope can be accessed here.

This post also appeared on KyForward.com on August 30, 2011.

Bibliography
Bluegrass Trust, “Gratz Park Spreads“
Lexington Cemetery History
National Register, “Gratz Park“
The Last Slave Ships, “Liberia History“
Sy Brody, “Jewish Heroes in America“
Wikipedia, “Ivanhoe“

walkLEX: Shorty’s Cellar

Shorty’s Cellar – Lexington, Ky.

On May 1, Shorty’s opened on West Short Street hearkening the return of the downtown grocer to Lexington. During the course of the summer, I’ve been to Shorty’s Urban Market more frequently than I have been to Farmer’s Market (in other words, more than weekly).

So naturally I was excited to see that Shorty’s is expanding… sort of. But in compliance with state law, Shorty’s is not actually expanding. The Urban Market and the new Shorty’s Cellar 157 will have separate entrances.

With a scheduled opening of October 1, Shorty’s Cellar 157 will be the only wine and spirits shop in the downtown commercial historic district. (Other great wine shops, like Wine+Market, are already nearby.) Work has already begun on converting the first floor of the Messick Building – a ca. 1928 two-story, three-bay Neo-Classical commercial building – into a wine shop.

The current façade of 157 West Short Street will see its aluminum storefront replaced with a steel and glass frontage a la Shorty’s, and both an awning and blade sign will mark the location. Inside, “600 SF of reclaimed wood floors, exposed brick, and custom chandeliers and shelving.” Until then, mark October 1st on your calendar!

This post was updated on August 22, 2011 with the Shorty’s Cellar 157 logo and information about the Cellar’s interior.

walkLEX: Preservation Along East Third Street

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! Our guides for the East Third Street deTour were property owners and preservationists John Morgan and Linda Carroll. The deTour also included a stop at Atomic Cafe and the Morgan-Carroll residence, both of which will be profiled later.

East Third Street – Lexington, Ky.

Across East Third Street from the Carrick House are a number of older properties in various stages of (dis)repair. John Morgan and Linda Carroll, owners of three of these properties, have taken my grandfather’s sage advice in Lexington’s quest of historic preservation: “one bite at a time.” There three buildings – 146, 126, and 122 East Third Street – are, in that order, increasingly well-preserved yet adapted for today’s use.

Painstaking efforts to maintain the streetscape appearance and to enlarge and modernize interior facilities while preserving interior features that can be preserved seem to be hallmarks of the Morgan/Carroll brand. The three properties each have a unique history and are fantastic examples of preservation and adaptive reuse.

146 East Third Street – Lexington, Ky.

Walking into 146 is like walking into a true construction zone. Originally built in 1847, this property was sold in 1849 to Daniel Wickliffe, the editor of the Lexington Observer and Reporter. Wickliffe would later serve as the Secretary of State under Governor Robinson. In the mid-1900s, the property was a Moose Lodge and was later converted into apartments. Morgan & Carroll acquired this property in late 2009 and have not yet begun restoration, so many remnants of its days as a tenement remain. Additional pictures of 146 East Third Street are available here.

John Morgan welcoming us to
126 East Third Street – Lexington, Ky.

At 126, the work is almost complete. Built around 1839, the small residence was a rental for much of its life. In September 1925, the tenant was John Morys, a jockey who rode Frogtown to a second-to-last finish in the 1919 Kentucky Derby; it was in the house that he took his own life by ingesting carbolic acid. The exterior has been restored and the interior is framed. As mentioned above, historical details (moulding, etc) that can be preserved is, but the Morgan/Carroll brand is to modernize the interior making it comfortable for 21st century living. The property was greatly expanded by Morgan and Carroll, who purchased the property in 2004 to preserve the integrity of the neighborhood where they live and work. Atop the addition will be a green roof and roof patio that will greatly expand the home’s living area while not disrupting the appearance from the street of this side-gabled, three-bay. Additional pictures of 126 East Third Street are available here.

122 East Third Street – Lexington, Ky.

122 serves as the headquarters for Morgan Worldwide and is the completed structure in the trio. Built in 1839, the building was restored in 1998. During the restoration, the basement was discovered and was dug out by hand having been completely filled with dirt – it was discovered by a keen eye noting the peculiarity of the top of a door frame being at ground level. In 1906, Professor Bernard Grehan passed from this life; his funeral was held in this house which was then owned by his daughter, Mrs Lillie Clark. Grehan was an Irishman whose accolades ranged from the ministry to mathematics and from trading to teaching; his son, Enoch Grehan, would help establish the journalism school at the University of Kentucky and the University’s journalism building would bear his name. Additional pictures of 122 East Third Street are available here.

These are three gems in Lexington’s Constitution Historic District – one that, like so many of Lexington’s historic neighborhoods – has a colorful past and, with the help of individuals like Morgan and Carroll, a bright future

Bibliography
Connelley’s History of Kentucky (v. 4), p.106-107.
Fayette PVA
local.lexpublib.org

walkLEX: East Third Street deTour is August 3

Join the Blue Grass Trust deTours group of young professionals (and young at heart) as we discover Lexington’s past. On August 3, 2011 at 5:30 p.m., we will gather outside Atomic Cafe (265 North Limestone) before exploring three East Third Street properties which are in various stages of restoration. RSVP on Facebook.

The majority of the properties to be explored on the August 3 deTour are located within Lexington’s Constitution Historic District. This district encompasses several city blocks between North Limestone and Martin Luther King Blvd, stretching from the north side of East Third Street to the alley with three names (references have been found to Templeman Alley, Clark Street and Pleasant Stone Street). As with all historic neighborhoods surrounding Lexington’s business core, Constitution has a checkered past — as do the individual properties to be visited.

The Atomic Cafe building – 265/267 North Limestone Street (not in the Constitution HD) – was constructed by and adjacent to the house of Joseph Wingate who served as Lexington’s Mayor from 1863-1865. In 1869, it was known as the “family grocery now owned by Jacob White,” thought it was in the Crawford family for 35 years. By fortune, this building it still exists – it was “almost blown to pieces” by an exploding oil can in the early morning hours of August 14, 1888.

The East Third Street properties we’ll be visiting – 122, 126 and 146 – today share a common owner who has taken each building to a different stage of restoration with 122 being the most complete and 146 being the most raw. 122 and 126 were both constructed by Joseph Uttinger circa 1839. Uttinger was a carpenter who owned a lumberyard; he sold both properties later that same year. James Jackson purchased 122 and 126 was sold to Thomas Bradley who rented out the property for about 20 years. 146 was built in 1847 and sold in 1849 to Daniel Wickliffe, the editor of the Lexington Observer and Reporter and later the Kentucky Secretary of State under Gov. Robinson. Both 120 and 146 (as well as five others on the block) are two-story, three-bay, all-brick, Greek Revival hall-and-parlor homes.

As a bonus, we’ll also be visiting another North Limestone residence outside of the Constitution HD. Although officially it was completed in 1900, its from room dates to a cabin first built in 1797.

Please join us for our August 3 deTour. More information about the deTour is available on Facebook.

Bibliography
Blue Grass Trust, “Constitution Spreads“
Kentucky Historic Resources Inventory
Lexington Leader, local.lexpublib.org
NRHP, “Constitution Historic District“

walkLEX: Centrepointe v. 4.0

I already told you about the meeting unveiling the new Centrepointe design. Today, I’ll show you.

Fmr Vice Mayor Isabel Yates examines the proposal

NRK and I discussed the project before the unveiling on Thursday. NRK declared his immediate reaction was dislike followed by the knowledge that I would love it. He was right. And I think that came through in yesterday morning’s post. NRK’s biggest criticism was that he didn’t feel that the project’s featured tower was “sufficiently Kentucky.” Gang discussed the poetic connection between Kentucky’s equine-based economy and the limestone soil that provides calcium-rich bluegrass for strong horses. With limestone as her inspiration, she discussed the stalactites and stalagmites of Mammoth Cave and the outcroppings of limestone along the Kentucky River Palisades before discussing the microbiology of marine life in the limestone – all of this pointed to the tubes which comprise the main feature of the project.

Rendering of proposed project and Lexington skyline.
Problem is, this picture is totally inaccurate (see below)

One flaw in the Gang presentation was the use of the picture immediately above – it’s completely inaccurate! The view is from the northwest based on the positioning of the landmarks photographed. Which means that the verdant forest next to the old courthouse is where the Fifth Third Bank Pavilion is located (as well as Cheapside, etc.). Any other eagle eyes out there spot any other mistakes?

Check out all my pictures from the presentation here on flickr.

walkLEX: Old Morrison

Old Morrison (Transylvania University) – Lexington, Ky.

R. Owens Williams is the President of Transylvania University, but Old Morrison is its face. Mention Transylvania University to those familiar with this great institution, and it will conjure up an image of this impressive building with its six massive Doric columns rising above the northern end of Gratz Park. Or at least it should… it is, after all, Transy’s logo.

Designed by Gideon Shryock and constructed from 1831-1834, it is the oldest building on campus that is in its original location (the caveat being necessary because of the Patterson Cabin which came to Transy in 1939). Shryock, of Lexington, had recently completed his work on the state capitol in Frankfort when Henry Clay, a member of the school’s board of trustees, sought his services to construct a main building for the college.

This brick building, covered in concrete, is three stories in height and serves as the University’s administrative building. Over time, it has also housed a chapel, classrooms and, during the Civil War, acted as a hospital for both Union and Confederate troops. There are even two bodies lying forever in the crypt at Morrison – Constantine Rafinesque and Saveur Francois Bonfils.

A fire in 1969 gutted Old Morrison, which was renovated, restored and rededicated on May 9, 1971. It was added to the National Register in 1966. Though his words are over 100 years old, they still are true. Burris Jenkins, president of then-Transy from 1901 to 1906 said that “Morrison is the purest, simplest piece of architecture in the state of Kentucky and the citizens of Lexington would part with any other building in the Bluegrass rather than part with the majestic Doric Morrison College.”

Bibliography
Gratz Park Neighborhood Association
NRHP, “Old Morrison“
Transylvania University, “Transy Campus“

This post was republished by KYForward.com on August 11, 2011.

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

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“