News & Updates
The Kirkpatrick & Co Blog
Bluegrass History & Culture
Keene, Kentucky | Historic Bluegrass Hamlet
This small hamlet in Jessamine County was first known as “North Liberty.” It was later renamed “Keene” when several Keene, New Hampshire residents moved there. The vibrant community quickly grew to include a grist mill, hemp factory & rope walks, tailor, hatter & more.
19th century Business Directory Map of Keene, [...]
Read More
May 14, 2024
Herman L. Rowe | Bluegrass Architects to Know
1839-1913
Herman Rau was born in Genoa but educated in his homeland, Germany. After completing his degree in Stuttgart, he made his way to Chicago, anglicizing his name to “Rowe” and meeting his wife, Nellie.
Rowe was invited to supervise the building of “Old Main” at what is now the University of [...]
Read More
May 9, 2024
Martin Geertz | Bluegrass Architects to Know
Martin Geertz 1854-1946
Largely forgotten, the architect Martin Geertz’s handiwork has outlived his legacy in the Bluegrass. Some of his works have even been misattributed in recent years. Arriving in Lexington, Kentucky in the 1870s, Geertz quickly developed a reputation for his versatility, designing buildings including “apartment flats”, lovely estates, cottages, [...]
Read More
April 8, 2024
Paint the Town Chinese Vermillion! Vibrant Historic Paint Colors in Lexington
The Colorful Bluegrass
We’ve always known Lexington, Kentucky is a colorful place to live. We were surprised to find how literally true that was all along. From the earliest days in the “Athens of the West,” residents were enlivening their walls with punchy colors of paint.
Chinese Vermillion. Prussian Blue. Patent Yellow. [...]
Read More
March 7, 2024
Thomas Lewinski | Bluegrass Architects to Know
When Thomas Lewinski arrived in Lexington in 1842, he was among the first professional architects in the region that included Gideon Shryock & John McMurtry. Born in London to a Polish father and English mother, Lewinski had pursued the priesthood before finding he was more suited to military life. The [...]
Read More
February 26, 2024
Meet Alfred Cohen, Famed Bluegrass Muralist
Above, a young Martha Stewart trying her hand at painting a mural at her historic Turkey Hill farm
When marketing a historic home, we are always interested in a home’s decorative details. We document all the unique features as we help our clients seek a new steward. One detail we [...]
Read More
February 18, 2024
Robert McMeekin | Bluegrass Architects to Know
Born on his family’s farm near Armstrong Mill, Robert Ward McMeekin’s forebears had received a land grant from the Virginia Commonwealth before Kentucky’s establishment in 1792. His pride in his homeland is imbued in his work. “I’ve always been preoccupied with the beauty and gracious lifestyle” of the Bluegrass, McMeekin [...]
Read More
December 7, 2023
Who built the ancient mounds in Fayette County?
Meet the remarkable Adena People
Drive down the beautiful Mt. Horeb area of Fayette County and you’re sure to see uniquely undulating hills across the rural landscape. These manmade mounds reflect a rich ancient culture once centered in the Bluegrass.
The mounds have long fascinated visitors, with early theories suggesting the builders [...]
Read More
November 30, 2023
Vertner Woodson Tandy | Bluegrass Architects to Know
Vertner Woodson Tandy 1887-1949
Perhaps the most famous Black architect hailing from Kentucky never practiced here, yet his family’s legacy bears a lasting mark on Lexington. Vertner Woodson Tandy was born in Lexington to Henry and Emma Tandy in 1887.
Henry Tandy, formerly enslaved in Estill County, was a skillful mason who [...]
Read More
October 31, 2023
Frankel & Curtis | Bluegrass Architects to Know
Some of Lexington, Kentucky’s most beloved streets are dotted with homes by the renowned architects of Frankel & Curtis.
The Firm
Frankel & Curtis was formed before 1920 by Leon K. Frankel and John J. Curtis, two trained architect/engineers. Frankel had been a professor, teaching engineering at the University of Kentucky [...]
Read More
October 4, 2023