The first home in the Old City my daughter, Theresa, and I stepped into was built in 1816. With obvious pride, the owners personally guided the tour groups and related the history of the various rooms. In the first room, the focal point was the small, original brick fireplace and mantel. The ceiling beams of hand-hewn logs, however, captured our attention. Nearly 200 years and still standing! It was thought that this small room plus one in the basement level and one on the second floor was The Original House.
A step down led us to the next room, equally charming. A short walk further down the hall revealed a bathroom that looked much like my Grandmother Marie's (may she rest in peace in the Lord!) bathroom in Louisville's Germantown, added on in the 1920's. There was a pedestal sink and small, hexagonal black and white floor tiles.
The rest of the house consisted of modern additions from the 80's, very well done: a spacious kitchen and dining room. A small but exceedingly beautiful garden and courtyard viewed from windows almost covering the walls completed our pleasant experience. Since there was a straight-line view from the front door to the rear patio windows, you could consider this a 'shotgun' type house as was my Grandmother's. The difference is that this home was built by an English stonecutter, not German immigrants.
Sunday was a blistering hot, sunny, humid day in Lexington but on our leisurely walking tour, we didn't notice. There was magnificent Victorian architecture on every street with the tall trees providing abundant shade.
The last house and garden we toured is owned by Theresa's landlord, an immense 4-story house built in 1905 as a woman's college. Converted into condos, each floor has a long central hall which had originally been the hub of classrooms. There the resemblance between floors ends as some walls have been removed and units were renovated in very creative ways, some retaining more original fixtures such as claw-foot tubs and others with modern fittings. The one uniting feature is artwork: everywhere are varied paintings, sculptures and living plants to beautify the rooms. It was a wonderful treat for us!
The owner's condo takes up the entire penthouse. The ceiling is so tall that in the largest room, which I surmise must have been the former chapel, there is a spiral staircase leading to a loft. From the loft there is another set of stairs climbing to the roof-top patio. And what a breath-catching vista of roofs, treetops and downtown skyscrapers we thrilled to!
(Theresa, at left, with blue Fifth Third tower in the background, Jan, at right, on the rooftop)
Since Theresa's apartment is nearby and our legs were begging for rest, we walked there, plopped down in cushy chairs, propped up our feet and partook of refreshingly cold bottles of water. We look forward to many more excursions and adventures.
Sometimes people forget they can have fun and adventures in their own town. So much to explore. Glad you ladies had fun!
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