This historic 6-bedroom home one block from Rupp Arena is for sale. Take a peek inside

Aaron Mudd

Our ongoing look at high-end, luxury homes for sale in Kentucky is back for its first installment of 2023.

This property at 467 West 2nd St. boasts some serious historical bonafides, claiming to be the site of Lexington’s first bed and breakfast and where the city’s first flushing toilet still sits.

Aside from its historical pedigree, the old Richardsonian Romanesque-style home offers “the best of all worlds” and “city living that feels like the country.” The home’s Realtor.com listing touts its “impressive 14’ ceilings (and) expansive Southern porch and floor plan designed for entertaining.”

It can be yours for $1,489,000, according to the property’s listing.

The home is situated on a gated half acre in the middle of downtown Lexington, with a whopping six bedrooms, six bathrooms and an additional stand alone apartment. Rupp Arena stands just one block away.

Additionally, a three-car “carriage house” that serves as a garage offers even more potential living space, provided a buyer would be willing to make the renovations. There’s ample parking space, too, with a 20-car driveway, according to the listing.

It’s also apparently home to another local landmark, with the listing claiming “Lexington’s first flushing toilet still sits behind it.” The property’s Kentucky Historic Resources inventory form makes no mention of toilets, but notes the home likely dates to the mid-1840s.

The document claims the house was probably built for the Rev. John Ward – formerly the rector of Christ Church Episcopal – and his wife Sarah Clifford Ward, who came from a “prominent mercantile and cultural family.”

The “striking Richardsonian Romanesque brick house,” the document notes, is a remodel of an antebellum Greek Revival residence.

There’s no doubt the home blends the past and present. The structure sits within Lexington’s historic Northside district, which is documented by the National Register of Historic Places.

One of Lexington’s most historic homes, located at 467 West 2nd Street, is now up for sale for nearly $1.5 million.
One of Lexington’s most historic homes, located at 467 West 2nd Street, is now up for sale for nearly $1.5 million.
One of Lexington’s most historic homes, located at 467 West 2nd Street, is now up for sale for nearly $1.5 million.
One of Lexington’s most historic homes, located at 467 West 2nd Street, is now up for sale for nearly $1.5 million.
One of Lexington’s most historic homes, located at 467 West 2nd Street, is now up for sale for nearly $1.5 million.
One of Lexington’s most historic homes, located at 467 West 2nd Street, is now up for sale for nearly $1.5 million.

Key facts and features:

  • Price: $1,489,000

  • Built: Built in the mid-1840s for a prominent Episcopalian reverend

  • Bedrooms: 6

  • Bathrooms: 6

  • Lot size: 0.51 acres

  • Square feet: 5,005

  • Presented by Ciara Hagedorn, brokered by Re/Max Elite Lexington, 859-245-1165

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