Fernweh, An Ache for Distant Places

Lexington, Kentucky has a few emerging districts that have been generating some buzz and adding further definition to downtown.

While the landmarks and streets themselves are nothing new, the culture and visions of each community have evolved and that is something to be celebrated with a bit of rebranding.

I recently wrote about the NoLi District, and another is the Jefferson District near Gratz Park.

The Jefferson District is located along Jefferson Street where it intersects with Main Street, and continues several blocks northeast until it ends at the intersection of Sixth Street.

We combined our tour of the Jefferson District with a few other sites of interest, so I  made a map of the route for you.

Our first stop was at the Mary Todd Lincoln House near the intersection of Jefferson and Main, then we walked the length of Jefferson Street.

We backtracked to Third Street and followed it to Gratz Park and Transylvania University, made our way to the Farmers Market in Tandy Centennial Park, and finally returned to the Mary Todd Lincoln House.

The Mary Todd Lincoln House is the family home of President Abe’s wife and it has been a museum since 1977. It was built in 1803 as an inn, and was bought by the Todd family three decades later. Mary lived in the home until she moved to Springfield, IL in 1839 where she met and married Abraham Lincoln.

Mary’s family stayed in the home until her father’s death in 1849. It was sold and used as a boarding house, grocery, a brothel, and storage unit. It sat empty and crumbling for many years until 1977 when Beula C. Nunn restored it and created the museum.

Nunn is also credited for restoring the Governor’s Mansion in Frankfort, Kentucky and then the White Hall, home of Cassius Marcellus Clay, in Madison County with the support of the Kentucky Mansions Preservation Foundation.

The 1904 Vogt Reel House is now Lexington’s Fire Station #4, the oldest in the city that is still operating. Henry Vogt, its original owner, served on the board for the city’s fire committee and donated the home upon his death.

Allegedly, it is haunted by an elderly former employee who died of old age in his sleep while staying in the station.

Captain McDonald is a friendly ghost though, beloved by current employees who appreciate the sounds of him rocking in his favourite wooden chair and tousling stacks of paper in good fun.

Current firefighters have painted an emblem called “The Phantom” on the side of their engine to honour him, and neighbours claim to see him staring out the window sometimes.

The side of the station has become a hotspot for local artists to paint murals as a nod to nearby attractions, popular cultural icons of the town, and some other unaffiliated figures.

Sorella Gelateria, Stella’s Kentucky Deli, Distilled on Lex, The Goose on Lex, Blue Heron Steakhouse, Villainous Pub, Devilish Current Brewing, and West Sixth Brewing are all great options to eat and drink around the Jefferson District.

My favourite spot is the Green Lantern, mainly for reminiscing about when I was still in bands and one of them played at Green Lantern with friends of ours many years ago.

Henry Dry Goods is a cool shop on Jefferson, but has a surprisingly high price point for what it offers.

Most of what you see on the shelves is a single base item that models what is available for you to have monogrammed; an oddly specific collection of purses, pillows, and sweaters.

We thought we had wandered into a magical garden full of fountains and lush greenery, but learned it was a catering and event venue called Apiary.

All the same, we had a wonderful time strolling around the gardens and enjoying the serene nooks.

Gratz Park Historic District is  a residential neighbourhood just north of downtown Lexington that surrounds Gratz Park.

The land was first purchased by Transylvania Seminary in 1793 and soon became the site of Transylvania College (now University) from the time it was built until it was destroyed by a fire in 1829.

Transylvania University was rebuilt directly across the street, but one of its original buildings still stands in the original spot in Gratz Park, called The Kitchen by locals.

The Gratz Park Historic District became the first historic district in both Lexington and the State/Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1958, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

There are eighteen registered historic buildings in the district including the Carnegie Library (now the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning), the Bodley-Bullock House, the Hunt-Morgan House, the Alexander Moore House, and the Peter Paul House.

The Peter Paul House was built in 1816 in the Federal Style with Greek Revival doorway added a few decades later. It is rumoured that Henry Clay personally planted that a giant Gingko tree outside that door.

The Alexander Moore House next door is also a Federal style townhouse, built in 1836 for the owner of a stationary store.

Gratz Park itself is lovely, with paved walking paths curving through green landscaping. The park and surrounding historic district has been designated as one of the first Preserve America Neighbourhoods and received nearly $100,000 from the National Park Service for renovations.

At the heart of the park is the “Fountain of Youth” sculpture and fountain, dedicated to a local author named James Lane Allen who left funds for the park in his will.

Gratz Park Mayfest Arts Fair is hosted in the district each year and draws crowds from all over the region to see live bands and local artists’ work.

The Gratz Park Neighborhood Association was officially founded in 1999 after residents had already been functioning as such for several years.

Those individuals, not the City of Lexington, are to credit for preserving so many historic buildings and maintaining the historic district through the years.

We took a leisurely stroll down Third Street to check out some of the homes of these locals and admire their beauty.

I would love to learn more about the history of each home but this walk was purely for enjoyment.

We stopped by to admire the Christ Church Cathedral as well, with its Gothic Revival architecture. It was built in 1796 and is the oldest Episcopal church in Kentucky.

The cathedral is on the National Register of Historic Places and has a beautiful courtyard and community gardens around its premises.

We could see the Lexington Farmers Market in Tandy Park from the cathedral so we made our way there next.

The Lexington Farmers Market is open each Saturday, from 8-2 in warmer months and 9-1 in fall/winter.

We enjoyed checking out local art and ciders from Wise Bird Cider Co. Later, we visited their store in the Distillery District.

There was a booth with info about the African American Heritage Walking Tours around Lexington, and I also learned about the Heritage Hemp Trail and Gratz Park’s Hemp History.

The VisitLex HQ and Lexington Visitors Center is in this gorgeous building adjacent to the farmers market.

We popped into Zim’s Cafe for a bottle of water and toured the exhibits inside VisitLex.

Of course, there were various odes to Big Lex, Lexington’s most beloved Horse.

There are other exhibits about Kentucky bourbon and Lexington history too.

We wandered the market and surrounding buildings for a bit before making our way back to the Mary Todd Lincoln House, where we began.

I was ecstatic to see these enormous Frida Kahlo murals on the outside of Mama Tequila.

We had dinner at Agave & Rye, which I now realize is becoming a small national chain, but each one is designed by different artists using local artists and designers so no location is like any other.

Agave & Rye is known for their Epic Taco creations and we were really struggling to decide between so many tempting options, so we asked the waitress what her favourite dishes were and ordered one of each.

The Crown Jewel has garlic buttered lobster, white cheddar macaroni and cheese, shiitake mushrooms, truffle oil, and shaved green onions. It comes inside a double layer of a crisp corn tortilla and a soft outer corn tortilla, with cheese in the middle. Just think on that for a minute.

Their “Birria Irish Nachos” are a strange fusion of french fries topped with Birria beef, queso, onion straws, cowboy candy, jalapenos, and bacon crumbles. It was bats.

Pies & Pints is another great restaurant that I have been to a few times now. They have an incredible Cuban sandwich with smoked pork and ham on toasted garlic butter baguette, mustard vinaigrette, pickles, and cheese. You can also choose antipasto salad instead of fries. P&P carries scores of local and regional craft beers, and the staff is super friendly.

Creatures of Whim and its Cauldron Cafe were a lot of fun to visit.

The gals there sell all kinds of jewelry, herbs, crystals, art prints, and any other type of supplies one would need for whatever kinds of getting up to no good they might be into.

Their Cauldron Cafe next door is a Harry Potter themed cafe with appropriately named tea and coffee blends like Polymilk Potion and Butterbrew. I chose this lovely special of the day swirled with edible gold dust.

Lexington Opera House and the Rupp Arena are both in this area, if you are looking for a live show.

We inevitably spotted some awesome murals along the way.

In the area for a while? Follow me to Lexington’s Distillery District and the NoLi District!

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