Every historic building has a story to tell
On a hot August day in 2019, I headed out for a site visit in Jackson County, Kentucky. Two months earlier, we had welcomed our son into the world, and this was my first venture out since his birth (not counting trips to the pediatrician). I relished driving slowly along the meandering road, the (read more)
Categories: Abandoned houses, Estill County
During my lunch hour yesterday, I documented a farm slated for development. Its well-drained, gently rolling topography will be manipulated by earthmovers and its soil suffocated by asphalt. The trees that provided shade to the farmhouse and shelter to livestock and wild creatures alike will be tossed in a pile and burned. The small (read more)
Category: Fayette County
Tag: #development
Plans were underway in May 1919 for the merger of two banks and the construction of a “handsome, modern building” in Berry, Kentucky. The merger of the Berry Deposit Bank and the Farmers Deposit Bank would give the the community “one of the most prominent banking institutions of the State.” Architect John Gillig of (read more)
Category: Harrison County
Tags: #berryky, #harrisoncountyky, #historicbank, #johntgillig, #kentuckyarchitecture
A quirky historic house in my hometown changed hands recently, and a zoning change possibly imperils the house. During my childhood, the dwelling was a curious and delightful aspect of the landscape as seen from the backseat window. The one-story house wasn’t like any of the other dwellings I saw, and from my vantage point (read more)
Category: Montgomery County
Tags: #hollowclaytile, #kentuckyarchitecture, #mtsterlingky, #spanishrevivalstyle
The march of student housing developments continues in Lexington, this time striking a blow in a new part of the Aylesford Neighborhood, near Woodland Park: the Woodland Triangle, once home to Ramsey’s, and a long-cherished collection of commercial buildings. There is a public meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 28, 6:30 pm at Woodland Christian (read more)
Category: Fayette County
Tags: #kentuckyarchitecture, #lexingtonky, #studenthousing, #woodlandtriangle, demolition
It’s the first day of May, and in Kentucky, it’s Derby time, but long before our Commonwealth celebrated the first Saturday in May, the date was a traditional agricultural-rooted holiday, celebrating the half-way point between the spring and summer solstices. Moving away from the racetrack and the farm, today also kicks off Preservation Month (read more)
Category: Historic Preservation
I’ve been playing catch up at work this year, which means my ability to channel energy and time into my blog is limited. Snow days, sick children, work – life has intervened. But it’s a constant struggle to rein in my wondering grey cells, especially when I spy interesting buildings while out and about. It (read more)
Category: Kenton County
While the snow and ice delayed the daffodils this year (and we missed two weeks of school), the subsequent plunge into summer temperatures in March meant that their reign over the landscape was truncated. The bright blooms of the narcissus do not fare well in 80-degree heat, nor do they enjoy sharp variations in (read more)
Category: Gardens
Tags: #kentuckygarden, #kentuckygardener
Eight years ago I caught a glimpse of a stone school building, nestled against a rising hillside across a creek. Of course, I turned around and went back to get a picture, and wrote about the one-story former school, which appeared to be the work of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Last week, I heard (read more)
Category: Clay County
Tags: #claycountyky, #kentuckyarchitecture, #worksprogressadministration, #WPABuilds
I am a sucker for rabbit holes. Sometimes I find the bottom; while at other times I only get tangled up in roots and climb back to the light. That being said, I love visiting the places that were stops on my ancestors’ journeys to where I am now. Standing on a hillside overlooking (read more)
Categories: Clark County, Warren County
Tags: #clarkcountyky, #kentuckyarchitecture, #SamuelGreathouse, #warrencountyky
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