Higgins Block (Lexington, Kentucky) Explained

Higgins Block
Coordinates:38.0469°N -84.4978°W
Architect:McMurtry, John
Architecture:Italianate
Added:August 12, 1977
Area:less than one acre
Refnum:77000613
Nrhp Type2:cp
Nocat:yes
Designated Nrhp Type2:August 25, 1983
Partof Refnum:83000559

The Higgins Block, also known as the Fayette Cigar Store, in Lexington, Kentucky, is a 3-story brick building designed by John McMurtry and constructed in 1872. The cast iron, Italianate facade originally contained five storefronts on West Main Street, each with three window bays. The surviving 2-storefront building is a remnant of the original commercial block, shortened in 1912 when construction of the Fayette National Bank Building required demolition of part of the Higgins Block. The remains of the Higgins Block were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.[1]

A public auction of the east 18-foot exposure of the Higgins Block was held in 1900 to divide the estate of the Higgins family, and the sale may have helped to preserve what is left of the building.[2]

John Allen Higgins (1831–1880) was a planter who owned a farm near Lexington and a plantation in Arkansas.[3] He was a son of Joel Higgins (1802–1859) and lived at Lexington's Higgins Mansion (1837–2017) until his death.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=77000613}} National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Higgins Block ]. National Park Service. Mrs. Richard Schubert . November 28, 1976 . May 9, 2019. With
  2. News: Public Sale of Business Property . Morning Herald . Lexington, Kentucky . March 11, 1900 . 2 . May 9, 2019.
  3. Book: History of Kentucky . Charles Kerr . IV . American Historical Society . 1922 . 203 . May 9, 2019.
  4. Web site: The Clamor of the Wrecking Ball: Two Historic Houses Fall on Lexington Avenue in Lexington, Kentucky . Janie-Rice Brother . Gardens to Gables . June 9, 2016 . May 9, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161114053344/http://www.gardenstogables.com/the-clamor-of-the-wrecking-ball-two-historic-houses-fall-on-lexington-avenue-in-lexington-kentucky/ . November 14, 2016.