Turf Town Real Estate Blog

Northside

The Northside District, is a large, historic neighborhood reaching from Newtown Pike to Limestone and from Church Street to north of Seventh.  The district’s neighborhood association was the first one established in Lexington and just celebrated its 50^th Anniversary in 2011.  Because Northside is so large, it includes a wide variety of architectural styles (including Federal, Victorian, Bungalow, as well as Arts and Crafts), historical communities, and socioeconomic classes.  The district developed over a long period spanning the 1800’s and on into the 1920’s.

 Lexington was originally divided into five acre lots, but by the early 1800’s Lexington was growing northward toward what is now Transylvania University.  In 1830, Transy relocated its campus across Third Street to its current location and Lexington continued to grow in that direction.  In the 1880’s and 90’s, many of the 5 acre plots were opened up to accommodate an ever growing population. 

 The Northside District includes several notable properties.  At 437 West Second, you will find a two-story gray house built in the early 1800s for Thomas January, a hemp cultivator.  The property has since been used as an Episcopalian Seminary, the Campbell-Hagerman College for Girls, and then the Lexington Conservatory of Music.  Today, it is a private residence.  Notable architects associated with the property are Thomas Lewinski, who is credited with designing the monumental Ionic portico, and John McMurty who designed a unique screen of interior Ionic columns separating the reception hall from the west room.  At 441 West Second, you will find a Colonial Revival home built around 1905 as part of the Campbell-Hageman College for Young Women.  The building also includes an Ionic portico and housed classrooms and music rooms until the college closed in 1912.  The building then became part of Anna Chandler Goff’s Lexington School of Music, but was ultimately converted into apartments that still exist today.

 Across the street, at 444 West Second, is the former Elks Club Lodge built in the early 1870’s.  The building was originally an Italianate Greek Revival style, but was enlarged and altered to a more convincing Greek Revival style several years later.  John McMurty is thought to have built the Lodge and made the subsequent alterations.  After 1940, it was used as the office for the Coca Cola plant, located behind the building on West Short Street.  It then returned to its original use as an Elks Club and today, is used as a commercial building.

 A hemp rope factory and ropewalk were originally located in the middle of the block created by Second and Third Streets.  The owners of the hemp processing facility generally lived in large house on West Second, West Third, or between the streets on North Broadway…..close to their livelihoods. 

 The Northside District has a wealth of local business housed behind original storefronts.  Wine + Market is the perfect spot to find a large variety of wines and specialty foods.  Stella’s Kentucky Deli is a casual deli featuring local foods and a casual atmosphere.  Nearby, for heartier fare, you will find Nick Ryan’s Saloon.  Small boutiques and specialty shops are interspersed with beautiful homes and historic buildings.  Northside is truly a district meant for exploring!