Every historic building has a story to tell
I appreciate architecture – that much should be evident to any visitor to this site. However, I strive to constantly be aware of what the façade hides – what the ornamentation may disguise – or how the dilapidated appearance of a building may mislead the passerby as to its story. Stories, of course, are the (read more)
Categories: Garrard County, Greek Revival Style, Virginia history
Tags: #antebellumhouse, #enslaved, #garrardcounty, #monticello, #thomasjefferson
Architecture is more than just shelter – and to those of us who love historic buildings – architecture is more than just ornament. Architecture is imbued with symbolism by the people that create and shape it, and historic buildings serve as artifacts of the time in which they were built. In that way, historic buildings represent (read more)
In the mid-19th century, it became popular in rural America for farmers of a certain class to name their farms – usually with evocatively pastoral names – sometimes referencing landscape elements found at the site. The Cedars, Elmwood, Mt. Pleasant: all names of Bluegrass farms that crop up often. Hedgeland, though, is not one I’ve (read more)
The vernacular front gable church with two entry doors has great appeal to a wide audience. I love the simplistic, almost austere beauty of these buildings. As a historic type, they were built in Kentucky through almost every stylistic period and decade, up into the 20th century. The Ghent Baptist Church, constructed in 1843, is (read more)
Urban renewal was not kind to many areas of Louisville, Kentucky. The Brown Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (built 1864-65) weathered the waves of demolition around it, and some 150 years after Gideon Shryock designed the building on West Chestnut Street, its exterior continues to impress. But the design of the church is only one (read more)
Categories: African American History, Churches, Greek Revival Style, Historic architecture, Historic Preservation, Jefferson County, Kentucky architecture, Kentucky churches, Louisville
Tags: Brown Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Chestnut Street Methodist Church South, Gideon Shryock, Louisville KY churches, Reverend L.H. Brown, West Chestnut Street, William Strickland
I’ve always viewed intellectual curiosity in a positive light. My curiosity has propelled my career, and helped forge paths to interesting places populated by interesting people. But sometimes, one must temper curiosity in light of rotting wood – and accept that sunlight shining through a roof isn’t necessarily an invitation for forward movement. I learned (read more)
The R.H. Wilson House in Greensburg, Kentucky, is a perfect example of one of the historic house forms I adore: a compact, brick, 1.5 story central passage dwelling – usually built during the Federal period. The Federal style is generally considered to be from around 1790 to 1825 in Kentucky, though certain elements of the (read more)
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