Every historic building has a story to tell
A house is much more than just shelter. Historically, homes have functioned as symbols of expression, wealth, and power – for those who could afford such brick and mortar displays – and a house on a corner lot in town commanded maximum exposure. And in the frenzy of the late-19th century, when styles and materials (read more)
Old photographs for sale in antique or second-hand stores always give me pause. I wonder about the unknown names associated with those forgotten faces, and also – who buys these photographs? Someone in search of insta-ancestor? Historic photographs not only provide a glimpse into the past at faces familiar and dear (and sometimes comical), but (read more)
The month of January found me suspended in a maelstrom of deadlines. The joy I typically find in my profession disintegrated into a frenzy of writing, severe brain strain, and a complete lack of appreciation for the fascinating buildings that were my subject. Then, one email broke through the fog of my stress, and everything (read more)
I never embraced cafeteria food during my primary and secondary school years (and was always baffled by the combination of square pizza slices, corn, and applesauce). But perhaps the problem was all in the setting – as I stood outside the S&W Cafeteria Building in downtown Asheville, North Carolina – I was quite sure I (read more)
Change, I think, is one of the most difficult things to accept in life, yet it is a constant force (just like death and taxes). Change moves and works on the landscape around us like the tide, ceaselessly lapping and ever so slightly shifting, until one day – everything is completely different. In March 2015, (read more)
Categories: Architecture, Bluegrass, Historic Preservation, Kentucky, Kentucky architecture, Lexington, Lexington neighborhoods
Tags: American Foursquare, black rot, burley tobacco, demolition, Dr. Valleau, Man of the Year in Kentucky Agriculture, planning and development, plant pathology, Rodes Addition, South Limestone, University of Kentucky, William Dorney Valleau
The interstate highway system transformed America. I frequently bemoan the sterility of the interstate, but if I lacked this soulless and fast travel option, I would never get anywhere…because the side and back roads hold so much history and wonderful architecture (and I want to photograph all of it!). This past fall, I traveled through (read more)
When I was growing up, there was a wonderful children’s bookstore in the Chevy Chase neighborhood of Lexington called “The Owl and the Pussycat.” The proprietors gave out bookmarks, one side of which was given over to a blank list, for the young reader to fill in wanted books. These bookmarks were magical talismans that (read more)
Bourbon whiskey – “the sweetest of the brown liquors.” I heard that phrase often while in college and though my personal experience with bourbon was one of quantity rather than quality, I’ve watched with awe and pride over the last ten years as the bourbon industry has not only bolstered Kentucky’s economy, but become a (read more)
Categories: Anderson County, Architecture, Bluegrass, Bourbon, Historic Preservation, Kentucky, Kentucky architecture, Tourism, Vernacular
Tags: Bourbon, bourbon whiskey, distilling, Four Roses Distillery, Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Lawrenceburg, McBrayer Distillery, Saffell Distillery, WB Saffell, Wild Turkey Distillery
I have a soft spot for small churches – those on prominent corners in small towns, or rural churches, tucked down a country road, often adjacent to a cemetery. Both types could be considered endangered – the churches in town replaced by larger centers of worship (often more community center or gym than church), flanked (read more)
One of the things I love most about England is the sense of timelessness you get when hiking somewhere like the Lake District. The landscape seems so permanent and stable, subject only to grazing sheep and the forces of nature. I feel the opposite in the tiny world that forms most of my Monday through (read more)
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