Every historic building has a story to tell
In 1960, the city of Paducah voted to buy the Katterjohn Building for its new City Hall. That plan never transpired, but the 1919 building, the former Illinois Central Hospital, was saved by George Katterjohn, Jr., a Paducah native and contractor. A successful adaptive reuse project turned the former hospital into medical offices. But that (read more)
As any student of historic preservation in America will tell you, the historic preservation movement began with a band of women determined to save the home of the nation’s first President. In the 170 years since the founding of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, many women – and men – have dedicated their time, talents, (read more)
Categories: Bourbon County, McCracken County
What’s the best thing for historic houses? To be a home, to be occupied, to be a place of life and energy. For that to happen, houses that may need a little love and affection must be purchased by someone who loves old houses. Here are some listings for historic houses for under $100,000 that (read more)
There’s a handsome (if a little careworn) house with a corner tower across from Kolb Park in Paducah, Kentucky. In 1888, this brick Queen Anne dwelling was the height of fashion, constructed for a German immigrant named Louis Kolb at a time when transportation improvements and an expansion of the city limits bolstered the city’s (read more)
Category: McCracken County
Tags: #frankkolb, #kolbdrug, #kolbhouse, #paducahky, #queenannestyle, Kolb House
Sometimes, work gets in the way of life – and definitely intrudes upon my blog writing time. Given my lack of mental acuity at this time, I thought I would share some details about three historic properties I recently nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. These nominations were approved on Monday, December 17, (read more)
In 1935, the economy of Paducah, Kentucky, hummed along – and if there was a soundtrack playing in the background, it would have been the noise of train engines. The Illinois Central Railroad operated one of the nation’s largest locomotive repair shops in Paducah, spread out over 110 acres on the south side of Kentucky (read more)
Architecture is much more than just shelter – it teems with symbolism. One of the first principles I learned in graduate school was the power of a building, and what messages the style, form, and materials convey about the owner or user. During the heady years after World War II, the United States boomed, and (read more)
I am more of a reader than a movie watcher. Circumstances conspired to move me in that direction: farm child, only four channels on our TV (and viewing time was restricted), and the influence of older siblings and parents, who, when not working, were reading. That said, I love the movies, and I especially adore (read more)
Categories: Historic Preservation, Kentucky architecture, McCracken County, Theaters
Tags: Columbia Theatre, Paducah
I fall in love with a different house (or sometimes a commercial or industrial building) at least once a week. Madly, passionately, head-over-heels in love, with blissful, giddy thoughts of scraping paint, refinishing floors, and restoring the overgrown yard to my platonic ideal of an English Cottage Garden in Kentucky. My latest crush is the (read more)
Categories: Art, Historic Preservation, Kentucky architecture, McCracken County, Tourism, Vernacular
Tags: Artist Relocation Program, Greek Revival, Lowertown, Paducah
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