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Greentree Close
and Historic
Downtown Lexington
The
name “Greentree” was chosen for the antique and restaurant
components of the Close to place the business site in the
historical context of Downtown Lexington. The whole of the
property had been part of the land holdings of Mary Todd Lincoln’s
grandmother, Mrs. Parker, and it was here that the future First
Lady was born and spent her early years. Indeed, Martin and
Reading purchased most of the property from the Kentucky Mansions
Preservation Foundation that owns the Mary Todd Lincoln House
nearby on Main Street. The Todd House had originally been an inn
designated by “The Sign of the Green Tree”. |
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Several generations ago, one of the most popular downtown
restaurants was “The Greentree Tea Room” on The Esplanade. The
Close also boasts a rare male Kentucky coffee bean tree of great
form. These influences lead to the adoption of the name. The Queen
Anne cottage that houses Greentree Antiques and Tearoom was built
in 1901 by the Smiley family who operated a large livery stable
that encompassed the rest of the current property. The stable site
had, after Mrs. Parker’s day, been a lumberyard. Evidence of brick
paving remains beneath much of the present surface of the site.
The house lot had been separated from the adjacent “Parker Place”
mansion that was built by the Wilgus family in 1871 and is today
once again a private home. We are fortunate to have such beautiful
grounds and an historically significant edifice as neighbor. Soon,
we were able to acquire the remaining parcels that comprise the
present compound. Unfortunately, due to its past neglect, we were
required to demolish an older building on the western boundary.We
plan for this to be the site of exciting new development in the
near future. The other newly obtained buildings originally served
as a Coca Cola plant and the Red Arrow Delivery Service garage and
office. The latter had most recently been home to the widely
missed Unfinished Universe. These buildings have been stunningly
refitted to meet the needs of their new occupants. These
tenants demonstrate a devotion to downtown revitalization shown
here in microcosm. On the site we also reclaimed rare greenspace
for the area.The ample parking provided by the grounds makes this
a unique downtown destination. The name by which we designate the
total and ongoing development was suggested by Meg Jewett,
proprietor of L.V. Harkness & Co., one of the founding occupants
of the compound. A “close” is an enclosed area adjacent to a
thoroughfare, a term most familiarly used in connection with
cathedrals.This property has functioned as a “close” for
generations. Tony and Debbie Chamblin, whose Belle Maison Antiques
is the third founding occupant, have been instrumental in
coordinating collaborative efforts by the businesses operating
within the walls of the Close. We do enjoy working together and
look forward to the time when we have space for more participants
in the urban destination. |
