Lexington’s historic Pope Villa was home for KY politician John Pope
Editor’s Note: As Lexington celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, the Herald-Leader and kentucky.com each day throughout 2025 will share interesting facts about our hometown. Compiled by Liz Carey, all are notable moments in the city’s history — some funny, some sad, others heartbreaking or celebratory, and some just downright strange.
John Pope was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, a United States Senator and eventually, the governor of Arkansas.
In Lexington, his home was Pope Villa — one of only three homes in the country designed by America’s first architect, Benjamin Latrobe.
The politician was born in Prince William County, Virginia, in February 1770, but his family moved to the Louisville area when he was young. As a child, Pope lost his arm in a farming accident, leading him to be known as “One Arm Pope,” and forcing him to change his future plans.
After a private education, including some at the Salem Academy in Bardstown, he attended the College of William & Mary before moving to Lexington to study law. Pope practiced law in Washington, Shelby and Fayette counties after Kentucky became a state.
In 1801, he served as the presidential elector and in 1802 he won a seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives. Later, as a Jeffersonian Republican, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he voted against the War of 1812 — an unpopular vote which led to his not running for re-election at the end of his term in 1813.
After his term in Congress was over, he and his wife moved back to Lexington, where he practiced law and taught at Transylvania University.
From 1816 until 1819, Pope was Kentucky’s Secretary of State under Gov. Gabriel Slaughter. During the 1820s, he remained active in politics, notably as a friend and supporter of Andrew Jackson. He served as a member of the Kentucky Senate and was elected three times to the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 1829, President Andrew Jackson named Pope the governor of the Arkansas Territory.
As governor, Pope advocated for “internal improvements,” like building roads. In 1831, he vetoed a bill that would have transferred land for the construction of a courthouse or capital to Robert Crittenden in exchange for Crittenden’s already-built mansion.
Pope instead insisted the territory’s seat of government should be located in the heart of Little Rock, in the business district. He selected a site overlooking the Arkansas River, where the Old State House was constructed by Kentucky architect Gideon Shryock.
After his term as governor ended, Pope returned to Lexington and practiced law until he was again elected to Congress, serving from 1837 until 1843.
His Lexington home, Pope Villa, was built by Benjamin Latrobe, a British-American architect known as the father of American architecture, in 1811. Latrobe also designed much of the U.S. Capitol. Pope’s home on Grosvenor Avenue is one of three Latrobe residences in the United States and is one of Latrobe’s most avant-garde designs.
Sometime in the 20th century, the Pope Villa was converted to apartments and in 1987, a fire in the building revealed most of the original house remained intact behind the apartment conversion alterations. The Blue Grass Trust acquired the property in 1988 and began renovations. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
John Pope died in Springfield, Kentucky, on July 12, 1845.
Have a question or story idea related to Lexington’s 250-year history? Let us know at 250LexKy@gmail.com.
This story was originally published October 16, 2025 at 11:38 AM.