Every historic building has a story to tell
One of the many delights of historic architecture is that a utilitarian use for a building does not mean that building must be devoid of character, charm, or style. Take, for instance, this striking front gable building, built around 1880 as storage for the James M. Thomas Lumber Company. Although modified over the years, there (read more)
Category: Bourbon County
A surprise demolition last Thursday in the Downtown Paris Historic District provides credence to some tired truths.* The circa 1875 W. B. Erringer House, demolished at the behest of its owner, the Catholic Diocese of Lexington, underscores America’s willingness to tear down and destroy. The reason circulated by many for the demolition is the (read more)
Category: Bourbon County
Tags: #historicpreservation, #kentuckyarchitecture, #oldhouses, #parisky, demolition
I celebrate women’s history almost every day, first and foremost as a woman and a historian. The notion of containing the recognition of women and their role in our lives and communities to just one month seems stifling and almost silly, but I do recognize the immense value of Women’s History Month in educating the (read more)
Category: Bourbon County
Tags: #kentuckyarchitecture, #parisky
The Center Hill School, completed in the summer of 1918, ushered in a new age of rural school consolidation. Five smaller schools, Centerville, Clays Crossroads, Hill, Hyson, and Jacksonville, were closed to make way for one large school per precinct. And the building that would house the students from these smaller schools was handsome, (read more)
Category: Bourbon County
Some houses slip away without too much fuss, like wan characters suffering from a long-term case of consumption in a Victorian novel – characters you assume will disappear with a languishing sigh by the middle of the book. Usually, these are buildings with faded or little street appeal, allowed to deteriorate and never given much (read more)
Category: Bourbon County
Tags: #historicpreservation, #kentuckyarchitecture, #parisky
I write too much about the death of historic buildings. But there are good stories out there, stories about historic buildings given new life, even stories where chocolate plays a big role (for me at least!). The day before Thanksgiving, my family and I sampled the tasty delights of the Hopewell Bake Exchange, housed in (read more)
Category: Bourbon County
Tags: #hopewellbakeexchange, #kentuckyarchitecture, #parisky
Six years ago, when I launched this blog as a platform for my musings about historic buildings and landscapes, I spent a hot June day walking the length of Main Street in Paris, Kentucky – from 19th Street to Second Street. I captured a great many images: churches, public buildings, cottages, festooned Queen Anne houses, (read more)
Categories: Bourbon County, Demolition
Tags: #bourboncountyky, #kentuckyarchitecture, #parisky, stockyards
When was the last time you stopped for gas and admired the architecture of the gas station? Not highly likely these days – but early gas and service stations celebrated the allure of car culture and popular culture (including trending architectural styles). The former Pure Oil Station, built circa 1926, in downtown Paris, Kentucky, is (read more)
Category: Bourbon County
Tags: #historicfillingstation, #parisky, #pureoilstation, #tudorrevival
I love looking at real estate advertisements for historic homes – sometimes it is just as gratifying as looking at the buildings in person, especially when the location is far from the Bluegrass. The ones that really tug at my heart are the houses whose charm and historic architectural character is matched only by the (read more)
Category: Bourbon County
Tags: #charlesebutler, #jamesepaton, #kentuckyarchitecture, #parisky
My parents inflicted a succession of ugly, misshapen station wagons upon us hapless children during my formative years. The one I remember most vividly was a putrid shade of pale yellow, appeared longer than a school bus, and was known as “the Tank.” It was in the Tank (the way back- station wagons in those (read more)
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