Bluegrass Trust releases 2015 list of endangered properties
The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation has released its 2015 list of endangered properties, called "Eleven in Their Eleventh Hour."
Last year, the Blue Grass Trust used its list to highlight 11 significant properties owned by the University of Kentucky. UK has since demolished five of them. This time, the group is calling attention to 14 at-risk properties across 11 Central Kentucky counties. The properties, with comments from the group, are:
■ Bourbon County: Cedar Grove (Paris) and the John & John T. Redmon House (Paris)
They "are early 19th-century houses that are architecturally significant. Both have had on-and-off renovations over the years. ... Both buildings are vacant."
■ Boyle County: Citizens National Bank (Danville) and the Dr. Polk House (Perryville)
"Both ... have been vacant for an extended period of time, experiencing serious neglect. They are also structures that significantly contribute to the historic fabric of their respective downtowns."
■ Clark County: Indian Old Fields
"Indian Old Fields ... was the location of Eskippakithiki, the last known Native American town in what became Kentucky. ... (T)his highly important site was significantly impacted during construction of a new interchange, which opened in September 2014 for the Mountain Parkway."
■ Fayette County: Mid-century Modern structures
"In our continued education and advocacy effort surrounding these structures, the Blue Grass Trust lists Fayette County's mid-century Modern architecture as endangered. Often viewed as not old enough or not part of the traditional early fabric of Lexington and surrounding areas, the Modern buildings of the 1940s, '50s and '60s are being substantially and unrecognizably altered or demolished."
■ Franklin County: the old YMCA (Frankfort) and the Blanton-Crutcher Farm (Jett)
"Built in 1911, the old YMCA ... (has been) lacking proper maintenance since it was sold by the YMCA in 1971 ... . Even though the building is owned by a local developer hoping to transform it into a boutique hotel, there is a push by the city of Frankfort to demolish.
"Just down the road from Frankfort sits the Blanton-Crutcher Farm in Jett ... . On the farm is an architecturally and historically significant circa 1796 house built by Carter Blanton, a prominent member of the Jett farming community."
■ Harrison County: the Handy House (Cynthiana)
It "was built in 1817 by Col. William Brown, a United States congressman and War of 1812 veteran. ... Unfortunately, the Handy House is jointly owned between the city and the county. County magistrates voted to tear it down, and the city opted not to vote on it."
■ Jessamine County: Court Row (Nicholasville)
"Completed in 1881 ... Court Row is one of the most significant and substantial structures in downtown Nicholasville. ... Nicholasville failed in 2013 to pass its first historic district, an overlay that would have encompassed the majority of the downtown and helped to regulate demolition and development. Then, within the past month, two historic structures were demolished, including the Lady Sterling House, an 1804 log cabin very close to the urban core. Additionally, Nicholasville is on the 'short list' for a new judicial center."
■ Madison County: Downtown Richmond
"The Downtown Richmond Historic District protects historic buildings and sites that are privately owned. That means that city- and county-owned sites are exempt from the H-1 regulations.
"The potential damaging effects of this can already be seen. In February 2013, downtown Richmond lost the Miller House and the Old Creamery, two of its most historic buildings. ... Owned by the county, the buildings were demolished with the hopes of constructing a ... prison on the site."
■ Mercer County: Walnut Hall (Harrodsburg)
"Built circa 1850 by David W. Thompson, Walnut Hall is one of Mercer County's grand Greek Revival houses. ... The James Harrod Trust has notified the Blue Grass Trust that the house may be under threat of demolition, as it is owned by a prominent Central Kentucky developer known to have bulldozed several other important historic buildings."
■ Scott County: Choctaw Indian Academy (Blue Springs)
"The Choctaw Indian Academy was created in 1818 on the farm of Colonel Richard M. Johnson, who served as vice president of the United States under Martin Van Buren (1837—1841). The academy was created using federal funding and was intended to provide a traditional European-American education for Native Americans boys."
■ Woodford County: Versailles High School (Versailles)
"After 77 years of continuous operation, the building has been empty for nearly 10 years. With no known maintenance or preservation plan, concern exists that the historic Versailles High School will deteriorate from neglect and, ultimately, be demolished."
This story was originally published March 1, 2015 at 7:55 PM with the headline "Bluegrass Trust releases 2015 list of endangered properties."