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Storefronts in the North Limestone Commercial Historic
District Photograph by Eric Thomason, courtesy of the Blue Grass Trust
for Historic Preservation |
The North Limestone Commercial District is one of the oldest
and most varied commercial areas in Lexington. The district is
located along the principal north-south thoroughfare that has
historically connected Lexington to the town of Limestone (now
Maysville, Kentucky). During the 19th century, the district served
as an important market center with many meat shops and grocers.
Several other mixed-use commercial buildings were located here.
The North Limestone Commercial District contains a variety of
commercial buildings that span several time periods from ante-bellum
and Victorian through the early 20th century. The only significant
intrusions within the district have been parking lots, which attest
to the growth and importance of the automobile within the last
century.
Additional storefronts in the North Limestone Commercial
Historic District Photograph by Eric Thomason, courtesy of the Blue
Grass Trust for Historic Preservation |
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The North Limestone Commercial District retains a great degree of
its original building fabric. The district can be divided into three
main sections along North Limestone Street. The first stretches
from 169 to 177 North Limestone and consists of Federal style commercial
architecture built during the early 19th century. Two of the buildings
in this section were originally homes and later converted to commercial
space when the area's importance as a commercial center was growing.
The second section includes 209 through 221 North Limestone and
contains Georgian Revival, Italianate, and Richardsonian style architecture
with characteristic architectural features from each of these periods.
While the third section, 257 to 267 North Limestone, contains the
earliest buildings in the district--begun in 1809--construction
in this section continued until the turn of the the 20th century.
This section includes a small, Federal house offset from the street
between two commercial buildings. Today, the first floor of most
of the buildings in the district is still used as commercial space,
while the second floor space provides residential housing.
The North Limestone Commercial District is located on North
Limestone St. between Church and Third Sts. Many buildings within
the district contain businesses that are open during regular business
hours.
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