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Antebellum houses located within the Constitution
Historic District Photograph by Eric Thomason, courtesy of the Blue
Grass Trust for Historic Preservation |
The Constitution Historic District is one of the earliest middle-class
residential neighborhoods established in Lexington. Today is consists
of 54 primarily residential buildings. The center of the district
contains early 19th-century houses which are bounded by commercial
buildings and educational institutions. Early residents of the
district included brick masons, carpenters, carriage makers, ministers,
and bankers. A church, the Second Street Christian Church, built
in 1874-75, later became the all black Antioch Christian Church
in 1880. The congregation, led by former slave Thomas Phillips,
was one of the oldest and most prominent among the black community
of Lexington. The Church was destroyed by fire in 1880 but rebuilt
with insurance payments.
Weir House, the most elaborate residence within the district
Photograph from
the National Register collection |
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Most of the residences in the district have been well-preserved
and little altered since their construction. The majority of houses
are simple antelbullum townhouses, built for middle-class Lexingtonians
on the outskirts of the burgeoning 19th-century city. A wide variety
of architectural styles can be found in the district including Federal,
Greek Revival, Italianate, Eastlake, and Late Richardsonian. One
of the oldest buildings is the Brand-Kennedy house at 124 Constitution
Street, a typical Federal house built in 1813. A second early home
is located at 216 North Limestone, built by locally prominent architect
Matthew Kennedy. The large Greek Revival residence built by James
Weir at 312 North Limestone is the most elaborate of the houses
within the district. Over the years the district has remained residential
with some small commercial development on the edges. Some of the
homes have been divided into multi-family dwellings with a few commercial
businesses interspersed throughout the district. However, as interest
in the neighborhood grows, these houses are being restored.
The Constitution Historic District
is located on the outskirts of downtown Lexington, bounded by East Third St.,
North Limestone St., Martin Luther King Blvd., and Templeman Alley. The
houses in the district are private residences and are not open to the public. |