The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation

08/20/2026

New development alert!

Cowgill is seeking to rezone 518 and 512 E. Main to construct a six-story, luxury condominium tower. The sixteen two-bedroom, 2,400-square-foot units will likely be marketed for around $1,500,000 and will supposedly appeal to retiring horse farm owners. To accommodate surface parking, Cowgill intends to demolish the c. 1899 McFarland House at 518. They insist, however, that the c. 1886 Italianate cottage at 512 will be preserved; a B-2A zoning simply will allow its future conversion into a live-work space. Both of these buildings are located in the Woodlands National Register Historic District.

A striking example of “Free Classic” Queen Anne architecture, 518 E. Main was constructed for James E. McFarland, a prominent banker and trotting horse enthusiast. The house was built for lavish entertaining, as multiple rooms on the first floor could be combined to accommodate dancing. In 1946, McFarland sold the property to Viola Combs and Maye Combs Morison, the widow and daughter of state senator, Lexington mayor, and lumber magnate Thomas A. Combs. At the time of his death, Combs also held leadership positions at the Lexington Telephone Co. and the Ashland Refining Co.

BGT urged Cowgill to reconsider their demolition plans and spoke with realtor Bill Justice, who purchased 518 E. Main in 1986 with the goal of redeveloping the block. In the 1990s, Mr. Justice opposed the house’s inclusion in the Aylesford historic overlay. He razed its sister property at 522 E. Main around 2012.

512 was one of the first parcels developed after the Woodland Park Association platted the land south of E. Main in the early 1880s. Its original owner, Henry Schaeffer, taught piano and guitar at Sayre Institute while running a music store on S. Upper; daughter Ione inherited the house and lived there until 1939. Schnabel Interiors will continue to own and occupy this building, which is not threatened at present. Nevertheless, BGT has reached out to the Schnabels to discuss placing protections on it and assisting with a tax credit-eligible rehabilitation. We have also asked Cowgill to denote the retention of the Schaeffer House on the development plan.

Sources
Fayette County land records
“Henry Schaeffer,” Lexington Press, February 22, 1868
“Talk About Town,” Kentucky Leader, May 9, 1892
“Permits,” Daily Leader, September 2, 1899
“Bank Changes,” Lexington Leader, May 7, 1902
“Social and Personal,” Lexington Leader, January 7, 1903
“Masquerade Dance,” Lexington Herald, September 9, 1906
“Henry Schaeffer Dies After Short Illness,” Lexington Herald, February 12, 1919
John Wilson Townsend, “New Manor at Providence is Home of Great Beauty,” Lexington Herald, January 15, 1931
“Thomas A. Combs, Ex-Senator, Dies,” Courier-Journal, April 8, 1935
“Senator Combs will Probated,” Lexington Herald, April 14, 1935
“Mrs. Thomas Combs Succumbs in Texas,” Lexington Herald, February 28, 1949
“Trotters and Pacers,” Sunday Herald-Leader, October 19, 1952

08/17/2026

Central Kentucky is defined by the places that tell our story: historic homes and neighborhoods, downtown buildings, rural landscapes, and the landmarks that give our communities their sense of place. Protecting them is at the heart of everything we do.

This August, we’re inviting you to be part of that work. Your membership directly funds our advocacy, education, and preservation services, and welcomes you into a community that loves the history and character of our region. Most importantly, it helps ensure that when a place is threatened or a community needs guidance, the Blue Grass Trust is here to help.

Become a member today! Link in the comments ⤵

08/11/2026

A recent property research commission, Castlelawn is a stellar Greek Revival villa and a fixture on scenic Old Richmond Road.

Deed records indicate that Richard Shelby, the son of General James Shelby, sold the 217 acres on which the house sits to farmer Benjamin McCann in 1836. It is unclear if construction began immediately, but the build date is likely older than the accepted year of 1847. While some accounts suggest that the cost “broke” McCann, the number of individuals he enslaved actually doubled between 1830 and 1850. Subsequent owners included the Bush family, Confederate veteran Major Samuel Morgan, and Hallie Graves Wilson. Her grandfather, banker Jacob Hughes, had built three other Greek Revival villas on Wi******er Pike in the 1850s.

Changes came to Castlelawn in 1928, when auto dealers George and Joseph Goodwin remodeled the estate at a cost of $15,000. They equipped the residence with electric lights and running water, built a to***co barn, and refaced the existing meat/icehouse with stone while converting it into guest accommodations. One article noted that “no passerby on the Richmond Pike can feel anything but a deep sense of satisfaction in its restoration.” Inside, two “old fashioned double parlors” to the left of the entry boasted 16-foot ceilings, pine floors, heavy walnut doors, and “handcarved facings and cornices of ivory tint.” Double dining rooms to the right were adorned with deep red tapestry paper, and spacious pantries, the kitchen, and the servants’ quarters were situated at the rear of these rooms.

Castlelawn is often likened to Waveland, which dates to the mid-1840s. The houses have different massings, but both feature 3-bay facades, triple windows, tetrastyle Ionic porticos, and frontispieces that replicate the entrance to the Erechtheion on the Acropolis. The dogtrot linking Castlelawn with its kitchen was a feature more common to stone and log buildings than Greek Revival villas. Notable interior elements include a plaster ceiling medallion in the foyer, which was copied from Minard Lafever’s The Modern Builder’s Guide (1833).

For a full history of Castlelawn, visit our Property Research webpage!

Sources: See building history packet

07/21/2026

Core Spaces is on a quest to eradicate affordable, historic housing in Aylesford. Lurking in the shadows, it has been seeking to demolish two entire National Register-listed blocks without submitting any development plan, conducting community engagement, or facilitating resident relocation. While Core Spaces could focus its attentions on its massive complex on S. Broadway that was just announced, it has instead chosen to pursue mass evictions in Aylesford simultaneously. Clearly, this private equity firm is only interested in appeasing the global investors who contributed to its $1,600,000,000 private dormitory fund.

Today, we’ll delve into the career of John V. Moore, who designed the now-threatened apartments at 264 Lyndhurst Place and 273 E. Maxwell. A versatile architect, he rose to prominence in the 1920s and took on a variety of commissions. His 1922 Louzehra Building at Limestone and Mechanic, for instance, introduced a mixed-use space that contained the Baugh and Garner furniture store with apartments above. When the International Products patent medicine company wished to relocate to Lexington in 1926, it tasked Moore with designing a massive facility at the intersection of Walton and Wi******er. This plant — now the Lexington Design Center — produced 20,000 units of Husky and Andes tonic daily, which treated liver, stomach and kidney ailments.

In the 1950s, Moore collaborated with N. Warfield Gratz, a key proponent of Colonial Revival architecture in the Bluegrass. Their projects included the extant Milward Mortuary in Southland, as well as an addition to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Paris. One of their more intensive undertakings was the enlargement and modernization of the Second National Bank on Cheapside, which resulted in its monumental façade. But Moore was not always so aggressive in his redesign of historic buildings. In January 1966, he expanded the Italianate Kerr Brothers Funeral Home by mirroring the tower on its façade. When Gratz died one month later, Moore served as his pallbearer along with prominent architects Hugh Meriwether and John T. Gillig.

Sources
“New Store Will Open Tuesday,” Lexington Herald, October 8, 1922
“International Products Co., to Erect Modern Factory Building in Lexington,” Lexington Leader, July 5, 1926
“International Products Plant Begins Operations,” Lexington Leader, November 13, 1927
“Public Invited to Attend Opening at Plant of the International Products,” Lexington Leader, November 22, 1927
“Kentucky’s Largest Medicine Plant Is in Lexington and It Supplies All North America with ‘Husky,’” Lexington Herald, May 29, 1929
“Second National is Planning to Remodel, Expand Quarters,” Lexington Herald, March 30, 1955
“Ground-Breaking Rites Held for Episcopal Church Addition,” Lexington Herald, May 16, 1955
“Work is Started on Milward Mortuary in Southland,” Sunday Herald-Leader, November 18, 1956
“Architecturally speaking,” Sunday Herald-Leader, January 15, 1967
“N. Warfield Gratz,” Lexington Leader, February 22, 1967

07/10/2026

16 historic Aylesford buildings in the area between by E. Maxwell, Rose, Lyndhurst Place, and Stone are at risk of immediate demolition. These residences offer affordable housing and – in one case – were legally required to do so until 2034.

Last year, Council denied developer Core Spaces' request to rezone to B-2A, which would have allowed an 8-story Hub to fill the entire block bounded by Rose and E. Maxwell. Core Spaces could have appealed, but it seems they instead convinced owners on that block and the adjacent one to demolish their own assets prior to a sale. No development plans or rezoning applications have been submitted.

The newly threatened block that abuts Lyndhurst Place is listed on the National Register and includes buildings associated with Lexington’s prominent 20th-century architects. John V. Moore, for instance, trained in California and was inspired by the Spanish and Mediterranean architecture he saw there. This aesthetic is reflected in the fourplex he designed for travelling salesman Bowen H. Van Arsdale at 264 Lyndhurst Place and the apartments at 273 E. Maxwell. Next week, we’ll examine Moore’s notable projects and his collaboration with N. Warfield Gratz.

In 1921, Edwin Stamler designed a Colonial Revival dwelling at 266 Lyndhurst Place for contractor John W. Clark. Hailing from Paris, Stamler specialized in educational and ecclesiastical architecture; his past commissions included the Carnegie Library there and Asbury College, which was rebuilt after a fire. Having received a grant from the Kentucky Housing Corporation in 2004, current owner Shepherd’s House placed a covenant on the property that mandated affordable housing for 30 years. However, they recently returned some of that money, and the KHC released the restriction.

The stately Colonial Revival at 271 Kalmia was purpose-built in 1927 as a fraternity house for Sigma Chi and was regarded as “one of the finest in the city.” Various Greek organizations were based there until 1989.

Please write to your councilmembers to protest both Core Spaces' unprecedented departure from the planning process and the mass evictions that are resulting from their eradication of affordable housing! As Core Spaces has not conducted any public engagement since 2025, several folks have asked if there is anyone at that company they can contact. The project lead is Austin Pagnotta, who can be reached at [email protected].

Sources
Fayette County land records
1920 census
“Paris Notes,” Lexington Herald, April 2, 1903
“Architect E. Stamler Will Erect New Building for Asbury College,” Lexington Herald, June 25, 1909
“Doings of the United Commercial Travelers,” Lexington Leader, November 25, 1917
“Contract Let for New Fire Station Building,” Lexington Herald, July 30, 1920
“Building Activity in City Increases,” Lexington Herald, November 7, 1920
“To Build Residence,” Lexington Herald, September 22, 1921
“New Apartment,” Lexington Leader, September 27, 1921
“$25,000 Home for Sigma Chi,” Lexington Leader, August 29, 1926

07/03/2026

The mad rush to destroy the western section of the Aylesford neighborhood for private luxury dormitories continues. Join Blue Grass Trust and the Aylesford Place Neighborhood Association on July 7, 7 pm, in Woodland Christian Church’s community room for updates on our efforts to protect the neighborhood’s affordability and integrity.

Last week, the Subtext developers began demolishing several historic buildings for their 8-story Verve complex, which will stretch nearly the entire block. Back in April 2025, BGT challenged their plan to raze 179 and 185 E. Maxwell, two Italianate houses that were constructed in the mid-1880s. We were particularly concerned by the loss of latter corner property, which prominent architect John McMurtry reportedly designed for grocer and building materials supplier A. B. Chinn. In the later twentieth century, sororities and the Kentucky Women’s Christian Temperance Union utilized the residence. Its high-style trim carried through into the interior and remained largely intact prior to demolition.

Only one member of the Planning Commission – Molly Davis – voted against the rezoning that Subtext required. The Council chose not to hold a hearing on that decision.

Subtext, to their credit, remained communicative even after the rezoning was approved. We negotiated with them to acquire salvage rights to 179 and 185 E. Maxwell; we then tasked Salvage Nation with recovering architraves, doors, and flooring. While we only had a narrow window to complete this labor-intensive work, a good amount of historic material was spared from the landfill.

Unfortunately, the destruction of western Aylesford is slated to continue. Over the past two weeks, demolition permit applications have been submitted for most of the buildings in the two blocks bordered by E. Maxwell, Rose, Lyndhurst, and Stone. Core Spaces is the driving force behind one, if not both, of these destructive campaigns. No development plans nor rezoning requests have been submitted, and no neighborhood outreach has occurred.

Next week, we’ll explore the history of the newly threatened buildings in that area and discuss our approach to safeguarding Aylesford’s essential affordable housing.

Images
Image 1: Photograph of 185 E. Maxwell façade during demolition, June 2026
Image 2: Photograph of 185 E. Maxwell, early 20th century
Images 3-4: Demolition of 179 and 185 E. Maxwell, June 2026
Image 5: Uncovering sealed pocket doors for salvage

07/01/2026

06/27/2026

Congratulations to Brent Leggs on his appointment as the eleventh President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation! A Kentucky native and longtime friend of the Blue Grass Trust, Brent delivered our inaugural Hopemont Lecture in 2023, sharing his vision of preservation as a tool for equity and community. His decades of leadership, including founding the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and raising over $200 million for Black historic sites, have made him one of the most powerful voices in the field. It means the world to us that his roots run through Kentucky, and we cannot wait to see where he leads the movement next!

06/22/2026

Demolition alert (yet again)!

A subsidiary of Ball Homes is seeking a permit to demolish the John W. Willmott House, which long served as the clubhouse for the now-defunct Spring Valley Golf Club. A development plan for the Spring Lake subdivision on this Sandersville Road site was approved in 2021 and recertified this past March. As the Willmott House is shown intact as a “proposed clubhouse,” its demolition presumably should require a major plan amendment and Planning Commission approval.

In 1937, renowned architect Robert McMeekin designed this grand Colonial Revival residence for John W. Willmott on the 139-acre Boiling Springs Farm. Willmott was a Lexington native and returned to the city upon his retirement after having practiced law in Oklahoma and California. Constructed by Smith Haggard Lumber Co., the fire-resistant, 15-room house was composed of Tyrone limestone, concrete, and steel at an estimated cost of $100,000 ($2,300,000 today). It was adorned with lavish features like a $3,000 chandelier imported from Czechoslovakia.

After Willmott relocated to Mount Dora, Florida, in 1948, the property was purchased by a consortium of businessmen for redevelopment as the Boiling Springs Golf Course. Key backers included Floyd G. Clay, the grandson of Cassius Clay who operated the Clay Gentry stockyards and the Clay to***co warehouses. The local firm of Meriwether and Marye designed the course itself. This venture foundered by 1959, and golfers feared the acreage would be turned into a subdivision. However, a development company led by Buddy Schneider acquired the course and expanded it into the Spring Valley Golf Club.

BGT has notified Planning and Building Inspection staff that the current development plan does not allow for this demolition. While there is no clear way to contact leadership directly, we would welcome a conversation with their project team. Undoubtedly, there is a feasible way to adaptively reuse one of the grandest residences that McMeekin ever designed.

Sources
“Willmotts’ House to be Started Soon,” Lexington Leader, August 14, 1937
“First House in New Tract Due to Go Up,” Lexington Leader, September 18, 1937
“New ‘New’ Club Being Formed,” Lexington Leader, March 8, 1949
“Boiling Springs Estate to Be Country Club,” Lexington Herald, March 9, 1949

“Boiling Springs to Open May 14,” Lexington Leader, March 29, 1949
Bush Brooke, “Boiling Springs Golf Course Construction Work Under Way,” Sunday Herald-Leader, May 1, 1949
Larry Shropshire, “Down in Front,” Lexington Herald-Leader, October 27, 1959
“J. W. Willmott Dies at Age 83 in Florida,” Lexington Leader, May 27, 1965
“Floyd G. Clay Dies at 83,” Lexington Leader, March 5, 1976

06/18/2026

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of partnering with for their very first Block Party. The community showed out in full force with food, games, live music, and real conversations about the future of this neighborhood.

Events like this block party are key for fostering new connections in Aylesford, especially as developers are resorting to more scurrilous tactics. Last week, an employee of the Wisconsin-based Findorff firm applied for demo permits for nearly every building in the block bounded by Rose, Kalmia, and Lyndhurst Place, which are all still privately owned. Back in October 2025, this same individual applied to demolish the houses on the Rose and Maxwell block on behalf of Core Spaces. This suggests that Core Spaces has now convinced owners on Lyndhurst Place to raze their own properties. If that company then seeks a B2A rezoning, it will simply claim that no historic, affordable housing exists in the project area. Obviously, such tricks undermine the entire rezoning process and create a situation reminiscent of the CentrePoint fiasco. Beth Musgrave's recent article in the Herald-Leader digs deeper into these shady dealings.