The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation

06/13/2026

Earlier this month, staff members Erica Friis and Jackson Osborne visited a fifth grade Social Studies classroom at the School for the Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA) to launch the Blue Grass Trust’s K-12 Preservation Curriculum. Students played “House Detective,” identifying architectural features to determine when a house was built, exploring American house styles of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and digging into why preservation matters to a community. The lesson wrapped with a lively current preservation debate, and it turns out fifth graders have some very strong opinions about saving historic structures!

06/11/2026

Demolition Alert!

Last week, Calvary Baptist Church applied for demolition permits to level three historic buildings: the commercial frontage at 212-216 S. Limestone and the charming cottage at 240 Rodes Ave. This post will focus on the history of the latter, which is a stellar example of Queen Anne architecture and the last surviving house in the once-desirable Rodes Subdivision.

A prominent doctor and member of Lexington’s School Board and Board of Health, William Rodes built and lived in several homes in the neighborhood before ultimately settling in the elaborate, Greek-Revival Stephen Swift House, which was located on E. High. At the turn of the century, he began buying up real estate to the south and east of the old Calvary Baptist Church to develop “a beautiful residence section” that “became one of the most attractive portions of the city.”

240 Rodes Ave was constructed between 1901 and 1907. The Rodes family rented it out to tenants such as B. G. Pinkerton, the new chair of Bible literature and mathematics at Campbell-Hagerman College. Previously, Pinkerton taught at Stanford Female College and served as president of both the Madison Female Institute in Richmond and the Christian College of Hustonville.

William Rodes suffered from heart rheumatism and, despite many restorative trips to Florida, succumbed to this disease in 1907. His wife, Mary, who was active in the D.A.R. and Sayre Alumnae Association, retained possession of 240 Rodes until 1919. Subsequent owners included school nurse Katherine Warford and Fae Lou Barrett, the director of the 60-troop-strong Central Kentucky Girl Scout Council. Calvary purchased the building in 1992 and utilized it as its counseling center.

We discussed these demolitions with Calvary and have learned that it intends to create greenspace on the S. Limestone parcels. Its leadership was receptive to our suggestion of salvaging the historic features at 240 Rodes. No firms have yet approached the church to develop its vacant land. Presently, Calvary’s campus includes approximately 3.5 acres of surface parking, while the University of Kentucky operates 2.95 acres in the vicinity.

Sources
Fayette County land records
“Personal Gossip,” Kentucky Leader, April 30, 1889
“On Hymen’s Threshold,” Kentucky Leader, November 11, 1890
“General Council,” Kentucky Leader, July 14, 1893
“Personal Points,” Daily Leader, July 21, 1896
“Brief Telegrams,” Daily Leader, August 12, 1896
“Old Rodes Place,” Lexington Leader, August 9, 1901
“Church,” Morning Herald, June 23, 1902
“Social and Personal,” Lexington Leader, July 15, 1903
“City News,” Lexington Leader, July 13, 1904
“Dr. William Rodes Dies in Florida,” Lexington Herald, May 15, 1907
“12 Children to have Tonsils Removed Today,” Lexington Herald, May 4, 1921
“371 Children Growing Fatter,” Lexington Leader, November 27, 1921
“Deaths,” Kentuckian-Citizen, January 23, 1948
“It’s Girl Scout Week,” Lexington Leader, October 29, 1952

06/07/2026

We continue to partner with in opposing a growing threat to Lexington’s historic neighborhoods. From Rose and Maxwell Streets to the Woodland Avenue corridor, developers are targeting some of the city’s most cherished historic structures for demolition, replacing locally-rooted businesses and residences with privatized student housing. Rezoning efforts have been challenged, but the pressure has not let up, and the stakes are only getting higher.

06/02/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 Preservation Awards recipients! We were proud to recognize the remarkable people and projects making a lasting impact on preservation throughout the Bluegrass.

Thank you for the important work you do to protect the places and stories that make our communities unique.

Visit the link in our bio to meet this year’s winners and learn more about their meaningful work!

05/27/2026

05/15/2026

Happy Birthday, Lexington Opera House!! ✨✨

This week marks 140 years since one of downtown Lexington’s most beloved landmarks first rose at 401 West Short Street. Built in 1886 after fire claimed its predecessor, the Opera House was designed by Chicago architect Oscar Cobb, with stone masonry by Henry A. Tandy, a formerly enslaved master craftsman. Since its grand opening on July 19, 1887, the stage has welcomed Harry Houdini, Sarah Bernhardt, Fred Astaire, and the Barrymores. Paul Laurence Dunbar read his work here in 1899, and Booker T. Washington spoke from this stage in 1902.

This year also marks a milestone close to our preservation hearts: the 50th anniversary of the Opera House’s restoration. By 1973, the building had been condemned, with a roof open to pigeons and rats running the aisles. Linda Carey spotted a tiny blurb in the Lexington Leader announcing its impending demolition, rallied Mayor Foster Pettit and philanthropist William T. Young, and convinced the Lexington Center Corporation to buy it. After the roof collapsed mid-rescue, the project became a full reconstruction, and the Opera House reopened on May 7, 1976. Today it stands as one of only 14 theatres in the country built before 1900 with fewer than 1,000 seats still hosting live performances!

To honor both milestones, we’re thrilled to spotlight longtime Blue Grass Trust supporter Kevin Lane Dearinger, whose new book “At the Lexington Opera House: A Scrapbook 1887–2026” is a love letter to nearly 140 years of performances and personalities.

Pick up a copy at your favorite local bookstore like .lex and ! It’s also available online!

05/13/2026

Advocacy Alert! Blue Grass Trust is continuing to partner with Aylesford Action to oppose the loss of historic housing on Rose and Maxwell. Although developer Core Spaces failed in their effort to rezone this block last fall, they are still intending to purchase the 12 National Register-listed buildings this summer and will likely demolish them soon after.

Join us for two events and help raise awareness about this serious threat to the fabric of the Aylesford neighborhood.

This Saturday morning (May 16), Aylesford Action will be hosting an informational meeting at 221 Stone Ave from 9 to 11. We'll discuss our advocacy strategy and identify community-oriented approaches to overdevelopment and displacement.

And mark your calendars: we are also organizing a neighborhood block party near the project area on June 13. More information on that event will be forthcoming!

05/11/2026

What a way to kick off Preservation Month and Bike Month! We had so much fun last week at our first Midcentury Modern Bike Tour! Riders explored the Richard B. Isenhour gems of Lexington and it was such a success that we can’t wait to plan our next one!

Lex Bike Walk

05/06/2026

Owned by since 1998, the restored Samuel Warfield House at 338 N Upper has compelling connections to several of the city’s leading African Americans.

Around 1845, Irish rope manufacturer James Weir built this late Federal-style residence as a speculative venture. His primary, adjoining property lay to the east on N Limestone and faced what is now the Carrick House. Weir sold the new building in 1846 to Samuel Warfield, a literate bricklayer and free African American; he resided there with his wife, Harriet, and their four small children until 1851. Dry goods dealer and cattle rancher Isaac W. Scott then owned the house, selling it in 1864 to William Caldwell, another Black bricklayer. In 1893, Emily O. Warfield, who by then was working as a schoolteacher or domestic laborer, reclaimed her childhood home. When she passed away in 1910, a legal dispute between her heirs and one line of the Caldwell family resulted in the property being exposed to auction.

The Warfield House was then purchased by Fannie Chiles, who had the distinction of being the first librarian for Lexington’s Colored Seventh Day Adventist Church. Her husband, J. A. Chiles, was the second African American to practice law in the city. Recently, he had risen to national prominence for suing the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway over its segregationist seating polices. Although Chiles lost before the Supreme Court, he attained renown as the first Black lawyer to prosecute a case before that body.

In 1914, the Chileses sold the Warfield House to family friend Dr. P. D. Robinson, who had agitated against Kentucky’s Separate Coach Bill twenty years prior. Hailing from Philadelphia, he relocated to Lexington to work as the city’s second Black physician; throughout his career, he advocated for investment in public health initiatives such as the construction of a citywide sewer system. Robinson resided elsewhere on N Upper and likely used the Warfield House as an incoming-generating property. He remained in the city until 1936, when he moved to Kingston, New York, to live with his daughter.

Sources
1850, 1920 federal censuses
1838, 1860, 1867, 1909 city directories
“Chiles, James Alexander,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database
“Furniture Sale,” Lexington Atlas, March 6, 1848
“Another Sale At Auction,” Lexington Weekly Press, November 13, 1850
“They Oppose the Bill,” Weekly Leader, March 24, 1892
“Talk about Town,” Kentucky Leader, October 26, 1893
“House and Lot,” Lexington Leader, January 26, 1910
“Colored Department,” Lexington Leader, June 20, 1915
“Leading Colored Physical Strongly Favors Sewer Bonds,” Lexington Leader, October 25, 1915
“Colored Notes,” Lexington Leader, December 28, 1943

05/04/2026

Every day, someone reaches out to the Blue Grass Trust for help saving a historic place, and because of our supporters, we are able to say yes.

From old windows and historic tax credits to preservation advice and advocacy, this work happens one building and one conversation at a time, all across Central Kentucky.
As we celebrate National Historic Preservation Month and approach the end of our fiscal year, please consider making a gift to the Blue Grass Trust Annual Fund. Your support makes this work possible!

Click the link below to donate today!
https://www.bluegrasstrust.org/annual-fund?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGn2HK0IjERy5xW4IoVRpD4j6NEb1CXbUHbPqm_vwJAQoIHcp3NDwLUmyGA2X4_aem_VP1ix2TqQ-mrG-cJGobu8g