In 1810-11, architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe designed a suburban villa in Lexington, Kentucky, for Senator John and Eliza Pope. Latrobe met the Popes in Washington during Pope's U. S. Senate term(1807-1813). Pope, a Kentucky lawyer and politician, and later territorial governor of Arkansas, worked closely with Latrobe on a proposal for vast internal improvements of Western America, including highways, bridges, and canals.
A talented Lexington builder, Asa Wilgus, is believed to have been the local architect who implemented Latrobe's design, although the Popes most certainly slightly altered the outcome. (Latrobe's original plans survive in the Library of Congress; the builder's plans were lost.) Wilgus and Pope made some alteration to Latrobe's plans for the home's façade, but kept the room layout virtually intact, with Latrobe's interior pathway creating a "scenic progression of spaces."
The Pope Villa is one of only three surviving resedential designs by Latrobe. (The other two are The Decatur House in Washington D.C. and Adena in Chillicothe, Ohio.) Its plan is unique in American residential architecture. According to architectural historian Patrick Snadon, Latrobe's fusion of classical sources and Picturesque theory places the Pope Villa among the most important buildings of Federal America.
This cache is on property that is owned by the Blue Grass Trust. Because of ongoing construction, it would be best to stay on the sidewalk. If you would like to have a tour, or have any questions about the house, call 859.254.POPE.
The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation was founded in 1955 as the first local affiliate of the National Trust. The Trust is a non-profit advocate for historic preservation that strives to protect, revitalize, and promote the special historic places in Central Kentucky to enhance the quality of life for future generations. http://www.popevilla.org/index.html
To log this cache, please log a picture of you (including your face) and your GPS in front of the Pope Villa. Parking will probably be the hardest part of the cache. This is an excellent cache for those in wheelchairs.
Please do not post a find until you have the photo ready to upload All logs without photos will be deleted on notice. If you are a member of a group, each member will need to upload a picture (it can be the same one).
First to find:Paddy Yenar