Every historic building has a story to tell
January is usually a hard month, and the weather so far has not helped – Kentucky has been wet and cold, and then cold and wet. Thankfully, it is Whimsical Wednesday, so I shall lift my spirits (and hopefully yours?) with the fabulous J.N. Struck House. Built in 1893 by J.N. Struck, a contractor and (read more)
Categories: Jefferson County, Louisville
Tags: #highlandshistoricdistrict, #jnstruck, #kentuckyarchitecture, #louisvilleky
I’ve been avoiding writing this post since last Wednesday. Something like a mental version of heartburn has alternately left me sputtering with rage and then sinking into a dismal pothole of gloom. The Louisville Metro Landmarks Commission, in a 6 to 4 vote, decided to not landmark the historic shotgun pedestrian court of Lawton Court. (read more)
Category: Jefferson County
Historic preservation doesn’t have a very long history in our young country, and the modern preservation movement can be traced back to the mid-19th century and the fight to save the home of the first President, George Washington. Mount Vernon isn’t what one would describe as modest and humble. From that point on, preservation tended (read more)
Category: Jefferson County
Tags: #louisvilleky, #louisvillelandmarks, #shotgunhouse, #tinyhouse, #vernaculararchitecure
The best example of Tudor Revival architecture I’ve seen recently wasn’t the typical 1930s house – but a former carriage house. The two-story brick structure has every embellishment one could wish for in this style of architecture: arches, faux half-timbering, mullioned windows, sharp gables and a steep roofline. When the Caulfield & Shook studio documented (read more)
Categories: Jefferson County, Louisville, Tudor Revival
Tags: #TudorTuesday, Amelia Place, Cherokee Triangle, Tudor Revival
A historic building is so much more than its form, materials, or decorative accents that catch the eye. Buildings hold and tell the stories of people, a community, and even an industry. I shared an image of a sign from the 1930s advertising Oertel’s Beer the other day, and a reader’s question: “what was Oertel’s?” (read more)
Categories: Jefferson County, Louisville
Tags: beer, breweries, Louisville KY, Oertel's beer
Vital Sites bought this distinctive, wood frame corner store in 2019 to save it from demolition. If you look past the plywood boards and mismatched paint scheme, you’ll find one of the last remaining wood frame corner stores in the Portland neighborhood – perhaps in Louisville – with many of its Queen Anne architectural features (read more)
There are so many historic buildings and stories across our wonderful Commonwealth than one person can possibly discover and relate their stories to a wider audience. I am always delighted when I have a chance to learn more about a cool building, and in the process, introduce another voice to this platform. Stay tuned tomorrow (read more)
Categories: Guest Post, Jefferson County
Yesterday was a rare day, at least in the context of the past few weeks. I ventured outside the confines of hearth and home to carry out some fieldwork (from the safety of my car, thus ensuring proper social distancing). That task completed, I took a half hour and walked around in the spring sunshine, (read more)
Although houses from the Victorian period are popular with large numbers of people now, there was a time in America when styles like the Queen Anne were loathed. Noted architectural historian Clay Lancaster, with his slightly acerbic wit, noted that the architecture of the period and its “escape to exotic modes indicates unrest, and it (read more)
Category: Jefferson County
Tags: #louisvilleky, #queenannestyle, #virginiaavenue, #westviewbuildingcompany, Parkland
I am a big fan of the public library system in the United States (or, “li-berry” as I pronounced it as a child). Reading is integral to my existence, and wherever I’ve lived or visited, I seek out the local library. Andrew Carnegie – or rather, the Carnegie Foundation of New York – helped fund (read more)
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