1 minute read

old meets new on 2nd street

from TOPS Lexington • March 2023

from TOPS Lexington • March 2023, page 216

with heart

by:

built in 1843 by Reverend John Ward, this gorgeous 6-bedroom in the heart of downtown Lexington holds so much intriguing history. Though it now houses an interior designer based out of Los Angeles and her dogs, former President Abraham Lincoln once walked the halls while his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, attended John Ward’s Academy.

Before it was restored back to a single family home, this house served as separate apartments – and later as the ﬁrst bed and breakfast in Lexington!

“There were many layers of things that did not belong that made no sense and had to be removed,” says the owner. “After demo, it was so interesting to ﬁnd the original wood ﬂoor covered with intact newspaper from the early 1920s.”

The gated home sits on a half acre property and was originally built in the Italianate style and modiﬁed in the 1870s to add the relaxing sleeping porch, tower, and an attic. Today, the owner describes its style as “modern vintage.” Many pieces were sourced from estate sales and local antique shops to achieve a layered, collectedover-time feel that respects the impressive history of the home. “I wanted a home I could update, and now it’s a contrast of old/new, city/ country, and masculine/feminine.”

The history of the home is very special. Homes just aren’t built the same way they were in 1843. Sitting on a huge parcel in the middle of downtown o ers city living with total privacy giving the best of both worlds.

design details:

built:

1843 neigh borh d: Downtown Lexington bedr ms: 6 bathr ms: 5 1/2 living area: 5,005 sq.ft. t area: 0.51 acres paint: Farrow & Ball; “The colors were chosen to make people feel comfortable while emphasizing the original details and woodwork of the home.” other details: vendors & resources: status:

Eat-in kitchen, in-law ﬂoorplan, o ce, utility room, eight ﬁreplaces, guest house, secure fenced grounds, sunroom, working pocket doors, Carrara marble countertops in kitchen, 12’ ceilings, crown molding, hand-carved mantels and more stunning details!