News & Updates
The Kirkpatrick & Co Blog
Bluegrass History & Culture
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 [...]
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
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October 4, 2023
Richard B. Isenhour | Bluegrass Architects to Know
Isenhour brought mid-century style to Lexington “beginning with a standard midcentury template—post-and beam construction, open floorplans, lots of exposed wooden beams and Kentucky limestone.” His later work “morphed from these contemporary ranch styles to bolder, block-style homes with rooms stacked in a more minimalist, streamlined fashion.”
A native of North Carolina, [...]
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September 20, 2023
Hugh Meriwether | Bluegrass Architects to Know
Hugh M. “Bud” Meriwether 1899-1979
Above, a Nicholasville home designed by Meriwether
Active from the 1930’s to the 1970’s, architect Hugh Meriwether’s residential portfolio includes historic “revival” homes for modern living across across Lexington & Central Kentucky. While his work spans a variety of architectural styles, Meriwether is well-known for his residential [...]
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September 2, 2023
Can you tear down a home on the National Register? Should you?
We’re historic home experts, and we often encounter a great deal of misinformation and even apprehension regarding preservation. Our brokerage helps clients navigate the process of buying or selling heritage properties with sensitivity. It is our aim to provide clarity and encouragement through keen expertise. Here, we’d like to share [...]
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August 28, 2023
Limestone: The Secret Ingredient
Shallow Seas, Bountiful Bourbon, & Hearty Horses
We know limestone-rich water makes for hardy horses & tasty bourbon in the Bluegrass. How, exactly, has this humble rock altered the course of history?
‘“The water is a very important ingredient and is a key reason why the bourbon industry has flourished in Kentucky,” [...]
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July 24, 2023
What’s behind those columns?
Discover the hidden past of many Bluegrass Greek Revival homes
Kentucky is famed for its genteel horse farms boasting white-columned Greek Revival estates. Visitors are often surprised to discover many of these “Greek Revival” manses date from much earlier than that period (c.1830-60) in Kentucky.
As now, homeowners were eager to demonstrate [...]
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July 11, 2023
Why do tobacco barns make good horse barns?
While an ever more rare sight, many Kentuckians have fond memories of tobacco hanging across the Bluegrass. Many warmly recall the scent of barns filled with one of Kentucky’s most successful cash crops of yore.
Old tobacco barn on 2527 & 2439 Grimes Mill, sold by Kirkpatrick & Co.
Kentucky’s rich [...]
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June 30, 2023
Brick by Brick: Beauty & History in Central Kentucky
Brick construction lends gravitas and permanence to the Bluegrass’s historic homes
The Greek Revival façade of the Elkton Farm’s John Suggett House expanded an earlier stone structure
We’re known for our representation of buyers & sellers of historic homes and estates. In particular, we’re praised for the historic and cultural research we conduct, adding [...]
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June 8, 2023