Mem'ries

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It's not every day that a genuine antebellum mansion comes on the market. There aren't that many left.

I keep a copy of Clay Lancaster's Vestiges of a Venerable City: A Chronicle of Lexington, Kentucky beside my bed for those nights when I just need to read a little snip before I fall asleep. Most of the photo captions read like the following: "formerly on the northeast corner of Limestone and Fifth." Many of the houses that didn't say "formerly," when the book was written in 1978 would now.

I take the destruction of these houses personally. Perhaps it is because I feel impotent; I am angry without a plan. I particularly mourn lost downtown houses, they seem to belong to all of us because they document our history as a city.

The Brand-Barrow house on the corner of Martin Luther King and Fourth is not in danger of being razed, but anytime a house like this is sold it runs the risk of acquiring irresponsible owners who may not respect anything about the integrity of construction or decor. I have seen more faux malachite countertops, fiberglass shower/tub units, louvered doors and bricked-up fireplaces than I care to count.

The Greek Revival house called Elmside or Elmwood is actually the second house to stand here. A house built here sometime after 1813, possibly by Matthew Kennedy, was replaced by the current house, possibly on the former's foundation, by William Moses Brand and wife, Harriet Holley (daughter of infamous Transylvania president, Horace Holley) probably around 1840. The Brands reared 11 children in the house. An old photograph shows four two-story columns framing the front porch and children playing behind a five-plank white fence.

In 1905 Dr. David Barrow bought the house, replacing the stately columns with a one-story porch, possibly because the first burned. In an extensive renovation Barrow added a full third floor to add four bedrooms to the already existing six. The dining room was made larger by cutting through 18-inch brick walls into part of what had been the kitchen. A large drawing room was made from two rooms connected by folding doors. Ceiling decoration and other contemporary decorative details were also added at this time. Some of the original molding and trim detail was moved upstairs. It is likely that the Lincrusta wall covering that extends from the front door up two flights of stairs through the large center hall of the third floor was also added at this time.

Bluegrass Houses and Their Traditions describes the house as it looked in the era of the Minor Simpsons who bought the house in 1920. Mrs. Simpson, a great-granddaughter of Henry Clay, brought to the house six original Duncan Phyfe chairs, a mahogany bedroom suite and several other pieces of furniture and memorabilia from the Clay family.

Through all its interpretations, the huge house has been home to families. But those were different times. Not many families save the Osmonds need or can afford ten bedrooms.

It is difficult to imagine a modern family living in the home; in fact, the current owners, the Hogges, live only on the second floor. Let's face this sad fact - anybody with enough money to purchase and maintain a house of this size is building in Hartland or on a farm.

My fear is not that the house will be torn down but rather that someone will buy it and in the words of Lucy Meyers, "Jeeter it up."

One realtor who showed the house when it was on the market two years ago had buyers who were willing to purchase the property in order to run a small inn. They withdrew their offer when they couldn't move past all of the city's red tape that bogged them down before they could even get started. Housing inspector John Bryan admitted, turning the house into an inn, "would probably be an uphill battle."

The Hogges have done a tremendous amount of work on the house but much is left to be done. My hope is that a buyer exists who is willing to restore the house to its rightful condition with a commercial venture, such as an inn. And because this house holds a part of our history as a city, I hope the city (its citizens and agencies) will recognize its responsibility to cut through some of that red tape and make such a venture a little less of an uphill battle.

If you would like to see the Brand Barrow while it is decorated for the Holiday stop by for an Open House, tea and cookies on Friday, January 5 between 4-6pm.