The First National Bank Building, also known as the Fayette National Bank Building, is a historic fifteen-story high-rise located at 167 West Main Street # 1006. It was designed by a prominent New York architectural firm called McKim, Mead, and…

This building stands as a remarkable example of modernist architecture. Its adaptation into the Gray Construction headquarters preserved the building’s historical significance while also carefully altering elements of the building to best serve its…

Melodeon Hall is also referred to as the historic McAdams and Morford Building. Throughout the history of this structure, it has consistently housed multiple commercial uses such as wholesale retail and drug stores, a college education center,…

Winkfield raced in the United States from 1899 to 1904. He won 161 races in 1901 alone. When Jim Crow injustice finally reached the racetracks, like many other African American jockeys, it eventually forced him off the tracks. Winkfield was the last…

The Blue Grass Trust plaque property at 234 Eastern Ave (formerly 140 Vertner Ave) has a rich history associated with the horse-racing industry.This parcel once formed the eastern boundary of Gunntown, a settlement composed largely of formerly…

In 1880, Clara Perry purchased two adjoining lots on what was then Vertner Ave from Winn Gunn and Samuel A. Cairns for $320 apiece. The late Italianate, brick house on the property was built shortly thereafter. Here, Clara resided with her husband,…

Born in 1935, Les McCann grew up watching his father draw on their front porch after work in the evenings and listening to opera with his mother while she cleaned and sang along. The family resided in a small, one-story, wood frame house at 580…

The Lyric Theater opened in 1948, originally built as a movie-house in the Art Deco style. It quickly became a cultural icon and fostered the height of entertainment for Lexington’s African American community. It hosted movies, fashion shows,…

Dr. Zirl Augustus Palmer was born in 1920 in Bluefield, Virginia. He attained a BS in chemistry from Bluefield College and sought to further his studies in the field of pharmacy in neighboring West Virginia. But at the time, African Americans were…