For those of us who live our days surrounded by the pocket doors and sky high ceilings of Ye Olde Louisville, we are well aware that our walls can, in fact, talk. For not only do they creak and groan and snap as all houses tend to do, their plaster walls, brass keyholes and ornate fireplaces tell a story of a time long gone. Louisville’s grandeur is written all over the gaudy wallpaper of its beautiful, historic homes. Sharing Louisville roots, Winfrey Blackburn and R. Scott Gill tell this story through the architecture of their new book, Country Houses of Louisville. Blackburn and Gill will present Country Houses at The Filson Historical Society this Thursday, November 10th, at 6pm.
As the 19th century came to a close, many of Louisville’s wealthier sons and daughters began the migration from the crowded, bustling city center to the rolling country outskirts. Partnering with celebrated architects, families built grand estates and beautiful gardens in the hills overlooking the Ohio River and surrounding Cherokee Park. These striking, historic homes now speak for themselves in the pages of the book Country Houses of Louisville. Focusing on homes built between 1889 and 1939, Country Houses uses photography – both contemporary and archival – to display the beauty and tell the story of Louisville’s architecture. The men behind this volume, Blackburn and Gill, compiled many choice never-before-published photos documenting the lush interiors and majestic exteriors of these impressive country estates.
Join Winfrey Blackburn and R. Scott Gill at The Filson for a presentation of Country Estates and its grand contents. Co-sponsored by The Historic Homes Foundation and the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, a reception with the authors will begin at 5pm, with the presentation to follow at 6pm. Blackburn, a practicing Louisville attorney, and Gill, holding a Master of Architecture from Rice University, will both be available for free mingling and discussion. This event is free to the public but reservations are suggested.
For reservations and more information, visit The Filson’s website
Photo: Courtesy of The Filson Historical Society website www.filsonhistorical.org
