Category: Tours

Wolf Wile Building, Lexington, KY

At the corner of Main and Quality Streets in downtown Lexington sits a classic example of mid-twentieth century urban commercial architecture. Its most noticeable feature is a limestone pillar that reaches above the roof line on the northwestern corner with vertical block letters: WOLF WILE. The four-story stone and brick building was built for the Wolf Wile Department Store in 1948 on a site that had previously been a bus depot. [*] Wolf Wile had moved from a location near Union Station to this new location designed by the Lexington architecture firm of Frankel and Curtis and the NYC firm Amos Parrish and Co.

The Parrish firm specialized in retail design and the Wolf Wile building represented a change in mid-century design. With an emphasize on maximizing floor space, sales and utility, the building was designed from the inside out – a clear departure from the highly ornamental commercial structures popular only decades earlier (consider 123 West Main). This International Style of architecture was and is rare in Lexington; the minimalistic style so popular in Europe between the two World Wars caught on in the United States only after WWII. [*]

The Wolf Wile Department Store was one of Lexington’s finest department stores, providing “family ownership, conservative management, low overhead, and personal service” for 103 years. [*] After more than a century, Wolf Wile shuttered in 1992 as Lexingtonians sought more suburban shopping destinations.

Four years later, in 1996, the building was acquired by the James N. Gray Construction company for use as its corporate headquarters. That same year, the National Register listed the building. You can see pictures included in the submission packet here (PDF). These pictures are very clearly those of an empty department store, but that also show the architectural features that have been preserved by the Gray renovation.

In opening the floorplan and including more natural light, Gray has preserved the Main Street and Quality Street facades. The interior has preserved the fantastic stairs and the elevator area with its polished Italian marble wall. The Main Street doors, however, are closed at Gray Construction. Instead, the primary entrance is on Water Street. This realignment of the building is dramatic as the primary entrance is now where the loading dock once stood facing out to the railroad tracks that decades ago were replaced by a widened Vine Street.

A Month Pre-Opening		Grand Opening Day

A few weeks ago, I got a sneak peek at what was to come. For the first time in years, a grocery store would open in downtown Lexington. Having grown up downtown, I remember the nearest grocer being either the Winn Dixie on Leestown or the Kroger on Euclid. Well, folks. The times they are a changin’!

My April visit revealed an unfinished ceiling, new subway tile, exposed brick, an empty bank vault … and blueprints. A month ago, this space could have been finished as a law office, a loft or anything. But it was planned to be and has opened as a grocery store.

Shorty’s – An Urban Market opened on Sunday, May 1 with a ribbon-cutting and champagne. I held a glass in one hand and my two-year-old’s hand in the other. As we explored the selection, we found a great selection of meats, fruits and veggies and packaged food. Prices were comparable with other high-end groceries, but the convenience factor at Shorty’s is high for those working and living downtown.

The remodeling of the suite at 163 West Short Street is part of the Traditional Bank Building (which was formerly the home  of Central Bank & Trust) was designed by EOP Architecture of Lexington. Milk bottle light fixtures, dark wooden shelving and a refrigerated section in the bank vault are some of the highlighted features.

As a result of having my 2-year-old at hand, I couldn’t snap the number of pictures I normally would have taken. Even so, check out my other before-after shots on flickr. Check out some more great photographs from Savoring Kentucky and canonchef. If you are in the area, check out Shorty’s – it is a great example of adaptive reuse. And, at least on its first day, it is a great little grocer!

This post was republished by kyforward.com on May 18, 2011.

West Short Street in the Historic Western Suburb, Lexington, Ky.

On the most recent deTour by the Bluegrass Trust, we visited the Historic Western Suburb. Having grown up in this neighborhood, I was quite familiar with some of the stories – but there is always more to learn. Short Street, the 600 block of which is pictured, is the focus of the neighborhood which stretches from Newtown Pike to Saunier Avenue with a number of jagged north-south variations (see this map) to encompass historic properties.

The neighborhood was formally platted in 1815 making it one of (if not the) oldest suburb of Lexington.  The land – and much of the area – had been owned by Colonel John Todd, a Revolutionary War officer who was killed at the Battle of Blue Licks. His daughter, Mary Owen (aka Polly), inherited all of her father’s vast estate making her the richest woman in Kentucky; she was three years old.

Greek Revival architecture is predominant in the HWS is Greek Revival, but architectural style is as diverse in the WS as the people who have called her home. Throughout its history, the neighborhood would be considered what is now “upper middle class.”  Lawyers, businessmen and others have always called the HWS home. Their businesses were often located next to the businesses, leaving opportunity for later infill.

One of the HWS most notorious residents was the famed Madame Belle Brezing. She learned and practiced her trade in neighborhood brothels (one of which was located in what is now the Mary Todd Lincoln House). Apparently, Madame Brezing’s first participation in the sex trade occurred at the lumber yard which was located at the site of the gas station (Main and Old Georgetown).

This post was republished by kyforward.com on May 6, 2011.