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The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation

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The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation

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Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation, Nonprofit Organization, 201 North Mill Street, Lexington, KY.

The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation is Central Kentucky’s resource for protecting, revitalizing, and promoting our historic places, enhancing the quality of life for all.

10/15/2026

Join us for a bike tour on October 25th through some of downtown Lexington’s most historic neighborhoods! We’ll begin at Latrobe’s Pope Villa at 11 AM and ride through the Aylesford, South Hill, Western Suburb, Woodland Heights, Northside, and Gratz Park Historic Districts, with several stops along the way to explore historic sites and their stories! We love the spirit(s) of historic preservation, but don’t worry about ghouls, goblins, or haints. This Halloween-themed ride is not a ghost tour. The historic places along our route are very much alive and remain an important part of Lexington’s community.

There’s nothing scarier than watching a historic home or site disappear. This ride is a chance to get out, see some of the places that make Lexington special, and learn more about the historic resources we’re working to preserve. After the ride, we’ll return to Hopemont for sandwiches and refreshments in the garden!

This guided ride is open to cyclists of all experience levels, and helmets are required for all riders. The event is free, but registration is required. The bike route and registration is available at the link in the comments!

10/13/2026

On Sunday, October 4, members of the Blue Grass Trust Heritage Society gathered at Cave Spring Farm for our annual Heritage Society event. Under beautiful fall skies, members toured the house, grounds, outbuildings, cemetery, and the natural spring found on the property’s 100 acres. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Cave Spring was the home of Capt. Robert Boggs, a Revolutionary War soldier who came to Kentucky in 1774 and was one of the founders of Boonesborough. The original portion of the stone house was completed in 1792. Thank you to our hosts for sharing this special place with us!

Heritage Society members have included the Blue Grass Trust in their estate plans, and their generosity sustains our mission of education, service, and advocacy for generations to come. Joining is simple! To learn more, click the link in our comments

10/09/2026

Join us for a community meeting at Kentucky Native Café on October 14, 5:30-7 pm!

Like many of our Aylesford neighbors, we are devastated by the recent loss of the two National Register-listed blocks on E. Maxwell, Kalmia, and Lyndhurst Place. Despite our successful challenge to the rezoning of this area, developer Core Spaces proceeded to demolish these residences and still has not submitted any plan for new construction.

Now, another developer, Up Campus Student Living, is seeking a rezoning for a 10-story luxury dormitory on E. High and Stone Ave that will result in the demolition of 8 more historic houses. Among these is the c. 1868 Joseph Woolfolk House at 224 E. High (shown above). The Planning Commission will consider this rezoning request on October 22 at 1:30 pm.

On September 30, objectors to this rezoning filled the Central Library auditorium to capacity. To keep up this momentum, we will be hosting a community meeting at Kentucky Native Café on October 14, 5:30-7 pm. We will discuss our strategy for opposing the rezoning and offer advice on delivering public comment and crafting letters to the Planning Commission.

We've also come up with a list of talking points that letter writers can use, available on the Advocacy page of our website. Email these letters to mailto:[email protected] and note the project number: PLN-MAR-26-00019.

Help us save the Woolfolk House, protect Aylesford's affordable housing, and safeguard our built heritage!

09/30/2026

Our October deTour heads to the river! Join us next Wednesday, October 7 at 6 PM at the River House Museum at Fort Boonesborough State Park in beautiful Madison County.
This preserved early 20th-century lockmaster’s home opens a window into the Kentucky River navigation system. Between 1836 and 1917, fourteen locks and dams were built along the river, creating a vital transportation network through the heart of Kentucky. The River House tells the story of the people who kept that system running, including the Walters family, who lived in the home for generations.
This deTour is guided and we may split into smaller groups as we move through the home.
📍 River House Museum, Fort Boonesborough State Park�4375 Boonesboro Road, Richmond, KY�🗓 Wednesday, October 7 | 6 PM
Getting there: Drive past the Fort entrance and use the park area entrance. Parking at the museum is limited, but there’s plenty throughout the surrounding park.

09/28/2026

You’re invited to the 2026 Hopemont Lecture! Join us Thursday, October 29 at 7 PM at the Lexington History Museum to hear nationally recognized preservation economist Donovan Rypkema present “The Housing We Already Have: Historic Preservation, Affordability, and Our Local Economy.”
Historic preservation is rightly celebrated for the history, architecture, and character it protects. But historic places are also an important part of our housing supply and local economy. Drawing on research from communities across the country, Rypkema will explore the measurable impact of historic preservation on affordable housing, jobs, local businesses, and tax revenues. His data-driven look will show how the places we already have can help communities meet today’s housing and economic challenges and build a stronger, more resilient future.
🗓 Thursday, October 29 | 🕖 7:00 PM�📍 Lexington History Museum, 210 N Broadway
Space is limited; RSVP at the link in our comments

09/25/2026

Join us on Wednesday, September 30, to speak up for the Woolfolk House at 224 E. High Street!

On the heels of Core Spaces’ mass demolitions on E. Maxwell and Lyndhurst Place, Chicago-based Up Campus Student Living is now seeking to build a ten-story complex on E. High opposite the soon-to-be-destroyed YMCA. The project requires a zone change, and the developer will be holding a community engagement meeting next week:

Central Library, Room B (140 E. Main St.)
Wednesday, September 30, 5 to 6 p.m.

The site includes 6 residences and two converted houses that are currently used as offices. Most date to the 1920s, but one stands apart. The Italianate house at 224 E. High was constructed around 1868, making it the second oldest dwelling on the entire street.

Its builder, Joseph S. Woolfolk, is connected to a place you already know. Born to a Woodford County farmer, he moved to Lexington in 1865, purchased Pope Villa, and commissioned architect Thomas Lewinski to design its Italianate alterations. After profiting in the grain and coal industries, Woolfolk’s wealth continued to increase, as he raised $1.3 million for the formation of the Elizabeth, Lexington, and Big Sandy Railroad. This line was then connected to his 11,000-acre mining operation in Carter County.

Woolfolk likely built the substantial house at 224 as an investment property, conveying it to his sister, Margaret, in 1877. She developed the adjoining lot to the west as her own residence in 1891 and thereafter operated 224 as (a rather lively) boarding house. It has remained in the McCann/Sparks family since 1911.

We believe growth and history can share this block. Weeks ago, we asked Up Campus to integrate 224 E. High into its site plan and activate its prominent frontage. The current design puts trash receptacles there instead.

You've been asking what you can do. This is it. Show up on the 30th, ask questions, and urge Up Campus to adaptively reuse the Woolfolk House.

A fun tidbit: Joseph and Margaret were the uncle and aunt of Dr. David Barrow, who renovated Elmwood/Elmside at 203 E. Fourth in 1905. Our recent deTour of that stunning house is on our YouTube channel, and you'll find its full history on our July 1 social media posts.

Images
Image 1: Photograph of 224 E. High, 1970s (University of Kentucky Special Collections: Carolyn Murray-Wooley collection on Lexington, Kentucky residential architecture)
Image 2: Photograph of 224 E. High, September 2026
Image 3: 1871 bird’s eye view map
Image 4: Photograph of E. High, facing east, 1890s? (Transylvania University Special Collections: Bullock Photograph Collection)
Image 5: 1907 Sanborn fire insurance map
Image 6: Up Campus Student Living site plan

Sources
Fayette County land records
History of Fayette County, Kentucky (ed. William Henry Perrin), 1882
“Sales of City Property,” Kentucky Gazette, July 11, 1868
“Building Lots for Sale,” Kentucky Gazette, November 24, 1869
“For Rent,” Kentucky Gazette, September 21, 1878
“Building Lot Purchased,” Kentucky Leader, May 5, 1888
“Social and Personal,” Daily Leader, January 20, 1897
“Society,” Daily Leader, December 30, 1897
“Died Wednesday,” Morning Herald, March 11, 1898
“Residence Sold,” Daily Leader, July 11, 1900
“Will Stay Here,” Lexington Leader, February 11, 1903
“Miss Woolfolk,” Lexington Leader, May 24, 1909
“Last Tribute Paid Joseph S. Woolfolk,” Lexington Herald, April 22, 1914

09/23/2026

Preservation Matters has landed! Our annual publication hit mailboxes last week, and this year’s issue is all about preservation in progress. Get a first look at the Preservation Center at Hopemont as it takes shape room by room, catch up on Pope Villa’s next big steps toward rehabilitation, and read about our work standing up for one of Lexington’s most historic neighborhoods alongside Aylesford Action.
You’ll also find a packed year of deTours, lectures, and workshops (plus a fifth grade class that made a seriously convincing case for preservation), this year’s Preservation Award honorees, and two new faces on the Blue Grass Trust team. Didn’t get a copy? Download the full issue via the link in our comments, or send us a DM and we’ll get a physical copy in your hands!

09/21/2026

We are pleased to welcome Esosa Osayamwen to the Blue Grass Trust team as Coordinator of African American Preservation! Esosa is an Architectural Historian with experience in cultural resource surveys, Section 106 compliance reviews, archival research, oral histories, and exhibit design. Her past work includes archival research and exhibit development for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Park Service, the Smithsonian Institution Archives, and Fort Knox, with projects spanning Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Kentucky. She holds a B.A. from Smith College and an M.S. in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design, where she received the Faculty Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement.

In her new role, Esosa will help identify, document, and advocate for sites connected to Kentucky’s African American history through community engagement, research, and preservation planning that elevates underrepresented historic resources. This new position is the first of its kind in Kentucky and is made possible by generous funding from the Mellon Foundation.

Esosa officially joined the Blue Grass Trust on September 7, and we couldn’t be more excited to have her on board!

09/16/2026

Like so many of our friends, we are outraged watching the demolition unfolding on E. Maxwell and Kalmia. These National Register-listed buildings that date to the 1920s were an intrinsic part of Aylesford’s fabric, and their loss is a serious blow to the neighborhood.

Initially, Core Spaces, a multi-billion-dollar private equity firm that operates the Hubs in Lexington, had intended to build an 8-story student housing complex encompassing the entire Maxwell and Rose block. Once the Planning Commission approved the rezoning of that site, we banded together with the Aylesford Place Neighborhood Association and Aylesford Action to secure a Council hearing. After listening to extensive public comment, the Council reversed the rezoning.

It is highly unusual for a developer to proceed with acquisitions after a rezoning is denied. Core Spaces made no attempt at further community outreach; instead, it directed property owners on that block and the adjacent one to demolish the buildings prior to a sale. Meanwhile, we pursued every avenue to preserve these residences.

Core Spaces has not submitted any plans for the area it is razing, but it may build up to four stories with the site’s current zoning. The fact that Core Spaces can legally destroy 17 historic properties without even indicating what it will construct in their place should trouble all Lexingtonians.

Currently, there are at least seven private student housing projects either in pre-construction or under construction that will be providing nearly 5,000 beds. Core Spaces itself will be building another Hub tower on S. Broadway with 768 beds. The new downtown area master plan recommends placing student housing on surface parking lots and the Good Samaritan Hospital site while avoiding the destruction of historic resources. Hopefully, the planning department will take those suggestions seriously. In the interim, Blue Grass Trust will continue to work with our Aylesford allies to preserve the neighborhood’s historic housing stock and ensure its affordability.

09/08/2026

Occasionally, our property research consulting service takes us far afield to locations such as Augusta, a historic settlement on the Ohio River outside of Maysville. Recently, a client there commissioned us to produce a report on the Schoolfield Log House at 211 W. Riverside Drive, which predates the town itself.

Dendrochronological analysis indicates that the white oak logs that constitute the house were felled in 1797. Early twentieth-century accounts held that Worcester, Maryland-born Robert Schoolfield operated an academy out of this building on lot 34 around that time. While Robert was indeed a ferry operator, town trustee, and leading citizen of Augusta, neither the available archival materials nor deed records confirm his association with the property. However, his nephew, John, did briefly own it from 1809-1811. In the mid-nineteenth century, Joseph B. Schoolfield, who belonged to another branch of the Maryland Schoolfields, occupied the house for twenty years.

Other residents included the German Weimer and Ludwig families, who both ran groceries in town. By the early twentieth century, the property was being utilized as a rental, and a handful of smaller dwellings had appeared on the parcel; these have not survived. Thereafter, the Schoolfield Log House served as a shooting location for the 1978-1980 Centennial television series and received a second-story extension in 1990. The Sauers family, who have owned the property since 2016, have artfully rehabilitated this unique resource into a highly livable and efficient space.

A full history of the Schoolfield Log House is available to download on our Property Research webpage (Direct Services) and is also viewable on our Tour the Historic Bluegrass virtual tour of early log and stone buildings.

Sources: see report

Address

201 North Mill Street
Lexington, KY
40507

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18592530362

Website

http://www.bluegrasstrust.org/

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