Brand-Kennedy Architectural Description

Brand - Kennedy House Architectural Description 124-128 Constitution Street Lexington, Kentucky Relocated 1983 112-114 Constitution Street Lexington, Kentucky AUTHOR Angelene J Hoffert December 2010

ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION 2

The Brand-Kennedy House is a 4 bay double pile, two-and-a-half story residence. The structure is a

two unit town house with wood cladding over a timber frame in-filled with brick nogging, a technique

known as half-timbered, and a gabled roof with two interior chimneys centered within each unit. The

structure was built in 18131 by James W Brand and Mathew Kennedy at 124 & 128 Constitution Street in

the city of Lexington, Kentucky. Brand and Kennedy located the residence between the streets of

Mulberry and Walnut Streets, to be named Limestone Street and Martin L King Boulevard, respectively,

on the southeast side of Constitution Street. The residence was later moved, by the Bluegrass Trust for

Historic Preservation in Lexington,2 up Constitution Street, to a location northeast of the original site, yet

still situated on the southeast side to what is now numbered lots of 112 & 114 Constitution Street for the

sake of preservation and restoration of the residence.

Green space is abundant on the street, as the residences are set back at varying depths and are

placed on larger lots. The Constitution Street District, a National Historic District3, is a neighborhood

located north of the commercial center of Lexington and was a part of the original layout of the town of

Lexington.

Constitution Street was founded by the Brand and Kennedy in the early parts of their ownership of

out-lot #10. Upon building the two unit town house, the street was created as a private drive to allow for

further residential construction. In the mid-1800's, Kennedy and the Brand estate administrators sold

Constitution Street to the City of Lexington for a nominal sum.4

Few residences were built around the same time as the Brand-Kennedy Home; most residences on

the street were built in the mid-19th century, with some late 19th and early 20th century infill. The

architectural styles of the district varied to include Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Eastlake, late-

Richardsonian and Neo-Classical.

Exterior

The front façade, facing northeast, is comprised of mirrored two-bay town house units. The

foundation is partially exposed with a coarsed stone facade. Balanced on each unit are wooden louvers

over the single-hung basement windows, giving the appearance of ventilation to the lower space. Each

townhouse contains a six-panel metal door, with transom windows, placed at the core and six-over six

double-hung windows to the exterior for balance. Each entrance door has a four step concrete capped

stair, with a coarsed stone body seen at profile. No railings adorn the stairs. The main body of the

structure is covered with horizontal wood cladding in a beaded bevel profile. The cladding is painted in a

pale yellow tone, accented with an olive-green toned paint finish on the window and door trim, sill plate,

eaves, and vertical wood corner caps. Additional contrast is added to the façade, with each exterior door

painted in a red tone. This color scheme of the cladding and trim continues around all facades of the

1 Fayette County Clerks Office: Deed Book 6 pp 629. 2 Mastin, Bettye Lee. "A Moving Story." Lexington Herald Leader. 3 NPS, US Department of Interior Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service, National Register for Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form. Constitution Street Historic District Nomination, Lexington Kentucky. 10 Feb 1982. 4 NPS, US Department of Interior Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service, National Register for Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form. Constitution Street Historic District Nomination, Lexington Kentucky. 10 Feb 1982.


structure. The second story of the front façade contains four equally spaced six-over-six double-hung

windows, horizontally aligned and centered on the first story entry doors and window punctures. A slight

overhang protrudes from the gable roof with boxed eaves. Modern asphalt composite shingles cover the

roof. Each townhouse unit has a centrally located brick chimney with a drip course. 1

The northwest and southeast gable ends2 are identical and symmetrically balanced. Two six-over-six

double-hung windows adorn the first and second stories, equally spaced across the side gable elevations.

The upper half-story also contains two smaller six-pane double-hung windows spaced closer to each

other and create a contrast in alignment to first and second story windows. These smaller half-story

windows are equally spaced between the roof lines of the gable. The horizontal wood cladding continues,

without break, through the gable.

The rear elevation,3 facing southwest, is also comprised of the two defined town house units.

Although each unit is not balanced individually, they mirror each other to create symmetry in the overall

elevation. Each unit contains a metal six-panel door at the core and a single six-over-six double-hung

window located closer to the edge of the end gables. The second story of each unit has a four-pane

casement window over the door, not aligned vertically or horizontally to either first story punctures. This

casement window in located within the interior stairwell.

Although the foundation appears to be of coarsed stone, possibly from the original foundation, it is

actually a facade to the concrete masonry units (CMU)4 that line the interior of the full basement. The

basement extends the full width and length of the structure; the basement is partitioned, without

communications, between the town house units. The ceiling of the basement reveals the structural joists

of timbers left in the round with hewn top edges,5 cut through the diameter to create a level surface on

which to place the floor boards. Bark can still be seen on the joists.

Windows appear to have been restored during restoration,6 possibly in the mid 1980s. The six-over-

six double-hung windows have a wood frame, painted in the main yellow/cream color, with wood trim.

The sill of the window is composed of a single wood board, while the head and jamb have additional

casing with a ovolo profile. The ovolo profile of the casing matches at the trim at the door punctures.

Although all windows have the same pane formation and are double-hung, the windows vary in size. The

first story windows are elongated in comparison to the second story windows. Width is maintained, but

height varies. The half-story windows are smaller yet in width and height.

Metal gutters and downspouts are located at the eaves and down each corner of the structures front

and rear elevations.7 The downspouts are painted to match the overall color of the residence and gutters

are painted to match the eaves. The color scheme helps provide some transparency to the drainage

system when viewing the structure from a distance.

1 Photo F: Close-up Central Chimney with Drip Course, Brand-Kennedy House. Refer to section Supplementary Information. 2 Photo D: Gable End Elevation, Brand-Kennedy House. Refer to section Supplementary Information. 3 Photo H: Rear Elevation, Brand-Kennedy House. Refer to section Supplementary Information. 4 Photo G: Close-up Foundation and Front Steps, Brand-Kennedy House. Refer to section Supplementary Information. 5 Photo R: Half-Round supports in basement view, Brand-Kennedy House. Refer to section Supplementary Information. 6 Photo E: Side Gable Close-up Window, Brand-Kennedy House. Refer to section Supplementary Information. 7 Photo G: Close-up Foundation and Front Steps, Brand-Kennedy House. Refer to section Supplementary Information.


Photo: Hoffert, Angelene. Front Elevation, Brand-Kennedy House, 112-114 Constitution Street. 2010.

Interior

The main entrance opens to the living space of the residence. Moving horizontally and straight

through the space you are taken to the second room, equal in proportion to first room, now a kitchen

and dining room. The six to eight inch wood floor planks in a natural finish are original to the residence.1

A central chimney opens to both first story rooms. The chimney was disassembled and reassembled at

the time the structure was moved;2 only the mantle in the kitchen is original to the 1813 residence on the

first story.3

The stairwell is located to the rear of the structure, in what is now the kitchen/dining room. The

original semi-circular stair case has been removed and replaced with a L-shaped stair case. Ghosting from

the original stair layout can still be seen on the wood floor boards.4 The stairs to the full basement are

located under the main staircase. Only two top rungs and directional transition stair, viewed at the

second floor, are original to the original staircase and residence.5 Additions and changes to the stair case

can be clearly seen at this location. 6

1 Photo J: Ghosting from original staircase, first story wood-flooring, Brand-Kennedy House. Refer to section Supplementary Information. 2 Oral Interviews with Martin Ginocchio, 2010. 3 Photo K: Rear room first story, original mantel and restored chimney, Brand-Kennedy House. Refer to section Supplementary Information. 4 Photo J: Ghosting from original staircase, first story wood-flooring, Brand-Kennedy House. Refer to section Supplementary Information. 5 Photo N: Original stair treads leading to first story, Brand-Kennedy House. Refer to section Supplementary Information. 6 Photo L: Second story Staircase transition additions, Brand-Kennedy House. Refer to section Supplementary Information.


The second floor, which has been updated by the current owners to include a bathroom located in

the rear room and a master bedroom in the front, with a small hallway connecting the two located in the

original closet space of the front room. Each room has a fireplace from the central chimney. The

bathroom mantle, which is in the rear room, is also original to the structure. In the closet/hallway

transition space of the second floor, the timber frame with down bracing and brick nogging, is visible

through a plexi-glass window.1

In the hall of the second floor a centrally located narrow stair, original, leads to the final half story.2

The story is the full width and length of the structure and wraps around the chimney. Sloped ceilings

delineate the roof line and half story.

1 Photo P: Close-up view of timber frame and brick nogging, Brand-Kennedy House. Refer to section Supplementary Information. 2 Photo M: Second floor original staircase leading to half-story, Brand-Kennedy House. Refer to section Supplementary Information.


Changes Through Time

When the two-unit town house was built, the layout of the main structure was the same as the above

described interior. At some point in the history of the town house, an elle was added to each portion of

the town house. The changes in the lot and the buildings contained on it can be seen through the

Sanborn maps of Lexington.

1861 Sanborn1 - Through examination of said map, the

following information can be gathered: the town house

structure is visible with an elle on the 24 or northwest

portion of the town house. No other changes, additions are

visible through said map.

1886 Sanborn2 - This edition of the map shows the addition

of an elle on the 28 or southeast portion of the town house,

which is a two-story frame structure and frame one story

dog-trot connection between the main structure and what

appears to be a detached kitchen structure. A side entry has

also been constructed in frame. This map also shows the

elle addition to 24 (shown as 26 on above map) which is a

two story brick structure with a one-story dog-trot connecting the structures together. By comparing to

later Sanborn Maps of Lexington, it appears the rear building on the lot may be a carriage house or

another type of outbuilding.

1901 Sanborn3 - Confirms the information stated from

review of the 1886 Sanborn Map with the addition of a small

structure located on the 24, or northwest, portion of the

townhouse.

1 1861 Sanborn Map, refer to section Supplementary Information. 2 1886 Sanborn Map, refer to section Supplementary Information. 3 1901 Sanborn Map, refer to section Supplementary Information.


1907 Sanborn1 - Confirms past reviews of the Sanborn Maps

with the addition of a wood frame porch structure on the

24, or northwest, portion of the townhouse. This addition

could show the change of this portion to a two-unit

apartment complex. The elle addition on this portion is also

now shown as a wood structure; it is unknown if there was

a change to the addition or a misrepresentation in the map.

No outbuildings are shown on either lot.

As noted throughout the text, both units of the town house were converted to an apartment

structure in the late nineteenth century; very few remnants of this change are visible in the structure as it

stands today. The ghosting, noted on the first story floor boards, shows the change to the stair location

at the time of the apartment conversion. The only documentation of this change is seen through a

photograph, visualizing the change in the location of the door to each unit to accommodate the

apartments.2

1 1907 Sanborn Map, refer to section Supplementary Information. 2 Photo A, 112-114 Constitution Street showing front facade and southwest side, looking southeast.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION 8

Staples, C.R. The History of Pioneer Lexington, 1779-1806. Lexington, Kentucky: 1939, reprinted by Lexington-Fayette County Historic Commission, 1973.


1861 Lexington Kentucky Map.

Enlargement Constitution Street. 1861 Lexington Kentucky Map.


Lexington, Kentucky. (1 map on 23 sheets : col. ; sheets 64 x 54 cm. Scale [ca. 1:50] "May 1886." New York : Sanborn

Map and Pub. Co.

Enlargement Constitution Street, Lexington, Kentucky. (1 map on 23 sheets : col. ; sheets 64 x 54 cm. Scale [ca. 1:50] "May 1886." New York : Sanborn Map and Pub. Co..


Lexington, Kentucky. (1 map on 26 sheets : col. ; sheets 64 x 54 cm. Scale [ca. 1:50] "Dec. 1890." New York : Sanborn

Map and Pub. Co. Source: Kentuckian Sanborn Maps

Enlargement Constitution Street. Lexington, Kentucky. (1 map on 26 sheets : col. ; sheets 64 x 54 cm. Scale [ca. 1:50]

"Dec. 1890." New York : Sanborn Map and Pub. Co. Source: Kentuckian Sanborn Maps


Insurance maps of Lexington, Kentucky. (1 map on 38 sheets : col. ; sheets 64 x 54 cm. Scale [ca. 1:50] "October 1901."

New York : Sanborn-Perris Map Co.

Enlargement Constitution Street. Insurance maps of Lexington, Kentucky. (1 map on 38 sheets : col. ; sheets 64 x 54 cm. Scale [ca. 1:50] "October 1901." New York : Sanborn-Perris Map Co.


Insurance maps of Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. (1 map on 89 sheets : col. ; sheets 64 x 54 cm. Scale [ca. 1:50] Sheet.

40. "1907." New York : Sanborn Map Co.

Enlargement Sheet 40 Constitution Street. Insurance maps of Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. (1 map on 89 sheets : col. ; sheets 64 x 54 cm. Scale [ca. 1:50] Sheet. 40. "1907." New York : Sanborn Map Co.


LOT LOCATIONS AND SIZES

Figure A: Figure B: Kennedy 27,000 SF Lot including northwest portion Brand 17,000 SF Lot including southwest portion (124 Constitution Street). (128 Constitution Street).

Figure C: Figure D: Northeast portion, 42 FT wide by 100 FT deep lot. Southwest portion, 75 FT wide by 100 FT deep lot.. (124 Constitution Street). (128 Constitution Street).

Figure E: Southwest portion, 40 FT wide by 100 FT deep lot. (128 Constitution Street).


Photo A

124-128 Constitution Street showing front facade and west side, looking southeast. Kerr, Bettie Lee. Historic Commission. Photo 6 of 17. September 1980.

Photo B

Matthew Kennedy House, 216 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY.


Photo C

Front and End Gable Perspective Brand-Kennedy House, 112-114 Constitution Street. 2010.

Photo D

Gable End Elevation, Brand-Kennedy House, 112-114 Constitution Street. 2010.


Photo E

Side Gable, Close-up Window, Brand-Kennedy House, 112-114 Constitution Street. 2010.

Photo F

Close-Up Central Chimney with Drip Course, Brand-Kennedy House, 112-114 Constitution Street. 2010.


Photo G

Close-up Foundation and Front Steps, Brand-Kennedy House, 112-114 Constitution Street. 2010.

Photo H

Rear Elevation, Brand-Kennedy House, 112-114 Constitution Street. 2010.


Photo J

Ghosting of original staircase, first story wood flooring, Brand-Kennedy House, 112-114 Constitution Street. 2010.

Photo K

Rear Room first story, original mantle and restored chimney, Brand-Kennedy House, 112-114 Constitution Street. 2010.


Photo L

Second Story Staircase transition additions, Brand-Kennedy House, 112-114 Constitution Street. 2010.

Photo M

Second Floor original staircase leading to half story, Brand-Kennedy House, 112-114 Constitution Street. 2010.


Photo N

Original Stair treads leading to first story, Brand-Kennedy House, 112-114 Constitution Street. 2010.

Photo P

Close-up view of timber frames and brick nogging, Brand-Kennedy House, 112-114 Constitution Street. 2010.


Photo Q

Sill plate, with bark on half round support truss, Brand-Kennedy House, 112-114 Constitution Street. 2010.

Photo R

Half-round supports in basement view., Brand-Kennedy House, 112-114 Constitution Street. 2010.

Brand-Kennedy Architectural Description

Documents

Transcript of Brand-Kennedy Architectural Description