Home » KY Historic Preservation Review Board will meet Monday to consider 10 National Register nominations

KY Historic Preservation Review Board will meet Monday to consider 10 National Register nominations

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 14, 2018) – Ten nominations to the National Register of Historic Places will be considered during a meeting of the Kentucky Historic Preservation Review Board at 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 17, at Paul Sawyier Public Library in Frankfort.

Among the nominations are the McGrorty Avenue/Old Wilderness Road Historic District in Danville, encompassing 13 African American residences dating from 1814 to 1950 that reflect an evolution of housing styles, from vernacular to bungalow and Craftsman, prominent during the development of the historic district; the Puritan Apartment Hotel in Louisville, a six-story building constructed in phases between 1914 and 1958, previously included as a contributing resource in an Old Louisville historic district now being proposed for individual listing; and the Captain Benjamin Johnson River House, a rural site along the Ohio River in Boone County, built in 1818 and nominated for its architectural significance as an early “I-House” design from the Federal era spanning 1794-1830.

The review board is charged with evaluating nominations prior to their submission to the National Park Service (NPS), which will issue a final determination of listing within 45 days of receipt. The Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office administers the National Register program in Kentucky and provides administrative support to the board.

Other nominations to be considered Monday are:

Grote Manufacturing Company Building, Bellevue, a three- to four-story brick veneer manufacturing facility built by the National Colortype Company in 1924-25 and updated by Grote Manufacturing in the mid-1940s, constructed in three phases and featuring fire-resistant poured concrete walls, ceilings, and floors.

Wright-Evans House, Winchester, a stone hall-parlor residence dating to 1815, updated in 1926 with a larger, architect-designed brick addition. The house merges two distinct styles, represents two distinct periods of development, and reflects changes over time in housing and construction in the rural Bluegrass.

Shafer’s Hall, Louisville, a two-story Italianate commercial building near Portland, constructed in 1877 and operated as a social hall from 1892 through the mid-20th century, one of many such neighborhood gathering places whose operation coincided with the growth of fraternal and social organizations across the country.

David Back Log House and Farm, Blackey, Letcher County, consisting of a log house, smokehouse, corn crib, and barn built in approximately 1875 with local timber. Originally a rectangular pen, the house has been expanded to a saddleback design with two, two-story pens sharing a central chimney.

Pettit Building, Paducah, a two-story brick, corner commercial building constructed from 1908-10 for a local pharmacist. The building anchors a residential neighborhood of mostly frame, one-story homes, and was designed to incorporate separate living space on part of the first floor as well as the second, with a separate entry.

Williamsburg Historic District, 40 acres consisting of 56 contributing buildings, three contributing structures (a wooden walking bridge, wooden vehicle bridge, and railroad line dating to 1882), and one contributing object, a statue of Dr. Ancil Gatliff, erected in 1925 to honor one of the founders of Cumberland College.

Ready-Twyman House, Versailles, a 1½ story brick, central passage dwelling with a cross-gable roof, stone foundation, and one-story rear addition. The house today features a Gothic Revival façade with decorative scrollwork, but evidence shows it was constructed in several stages starting in the 1830s.

The National Register is the nation’s official list of historic and archaeological resources deemed worthy of preservation. Kentucky has the fourth-highest number of listings among states, with more than 3,400. The listing can be applied to buildings, objects, structures, districts, and archaeological sites, and proposed sites must be significant in architecture, engineering, American history, or culture.

Review board members are Dr. Karl B. Raitz, Lexington, chair; Dr. James Claypool, Park Hills; Dr. Eric Jackson, Highland Heights; Margaret Rogers Jacobs, Dr. Kim A. McBride, Julie Riesenweber, Lexington; and Natalie G. Wilkerson, Frankfort.

Owners of National Register properties may qualify for state and/or federal tax credits for rehabilitation of these properties to standards set forth by the Secretary of the Interior, as certified by the Kentucky Heritage Council, or by making a charitable contribution of a preservation easement. National Register status does not affect property ownership rights but does provide a measure of protection against adverse impacts from federally funded projects.

The meeting is open to the public. An agenda, complete draft nominations, and high-resolution photos are available at www.heritage.ky.gov.