A native of Elizabethtown, architect Howard Churchill served in Marines in World War I and later as a Captain in the Corps of Engineers in World War II.
His career as an architect was sandwiched between the two conflicts and he was retired from the field by 1945. Though his architecture career was brief, a number of his attractive buildings still grace the streets of the Bluegrass.
Much of Churchill’s residential work dates from the 1920s and early 1930s. A contemporary of Frankel & Curtis, Churchill’s work was perhaps less distinctive. Willing and able to build in a variety of styles from Italianate to Tudor, Churchill met the clients’ desires with capable practicality. His work adapted classic architectural features with a modern, twentieth century sensibility.
While the residences are therefore less “pure” in style, the result were appealing, livable homes for Lexington’s growing upper middle class. Most of Churchill’s residential work is clustered near his personal residence in Ashland Park, then a serene new suburb.
Later, as a partner with John Gillig, Churchill expanded his portfolio to include churches, schools, & other public buildings. In 1927, they dazzled with a new clubhouse for Lexington Country Club. In 1934, Churchill & Gillig constructed the impressive neoclassical Federal Courthouse and Post Office on Barr Street.
Confirmed Surviving Works by H.A. Churchill
1024 Fincastle Rd
120 McDowell Rd
227 McDowell Rd
137 Ransom Avenue
1505 Richmond Road
100-102 South Hanover Ave apartments
110-112 South Hanover Ave duplex
121 South Hanover Ave
125 South Hanover Ave
204 South Hanover Ave (personal residence)
Arlington Christian Church
Athens Schoolhouse
George Washington Carver School (now the Carver Center)
Lexington Country Club clubhouse
Nicholasville Christian Church
Preston Arms apartments 280 E High St
Sigma Nu House at the University of Kentucky
Woodland Christian Church
