Crestwood Civic Club Holiday Home Tour
Civic
Club to feature three stops
on its Holiday Home Tour
Cohn
home was designed by
architect Arthur W. Smith
By
Helen E. McKinney
Contributing Writer
CRESTWOOD, Ky. (November 2012) When Paula
Cohn purchased her circa 1910 home in 1991 in Crestwood, she was struck
by the fact that, except for the mechanics, the home had not changed
much in several decades. The home retained its interior and exterior
charm, Victorian detailing and most of all, had physically stood the
test of time.
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Photo
provided
Barry
and Paula Cohns home
in Crestwood is among three
stops on the home tour.
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Originally from Lexing-ton, Ky., Cohn found this house
irresistible. She was taken with the front porch and a second floor
landing that quickly became a nice place to read, said Cohn.
This almost 6,000-square foot home will be decorated for the Thanksgiving
season and is one of three on the Crestwood Civic Club Holiday Home
Tour. Tours begin at the Crestwood Civic Club located at 7215 Kavanaugh
Rd., and will take place from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16.
Two luncheon seating times will be available at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Arthur W. Smith, a well-known architect in this area and throughout
the south, originally built the Cohns three-story home for the
J. Will Jefferson family. It was designed to be the summer home for
this family from Louisville, Cohn said.
The Jefferson family owned the home for 53 years before it passed into
the hands of the Jack Acree family, who resided there until 1988. It
was during the Acree family ownership that front steps were added where
previously steps had led off of each end of the porch. A bay window
was installed in the kitchen to create more dining space.
Crestwood
Civic
Club Holiday
Home Tour &
Luncheon
10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16
Luncheon and tour tickets $17. Tour only $12.
Tours begin at Crestwood Civic Club, 7215 Kavanaugh Rd.
Information and tickets: Call Anne Murner at (502) 292-2701
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The James Lutes family then bought the home. They rewired
the house and updated the heating system, making it more efficient.
When Cohn and her husband, Barry, purchased the house, they had very
little renovation work to do, she said. They removed the radiators and
painted the woodwork, which had retained its original mahogany stain.
Cohn thought this made the rooms too dark and updated the woodwork with
a fresh coat of light paint.
The home contains three floors, six bedrooms, two fireplaces and sits
on less than two acres. The third floor was employed by the Jefferson
family as living space for their butler. In terms of furnishings, the
Cohns have attempted to maintain a period English style throughout the
home.
One feature that marks the home as a unique piece of property is the
original refrigerator room, said Cohn. The room is only
large enough for a refrigerator and it still contains the old
wooden refrigerator.
She said that anyone who has lived in the county for a long time
knows the home as Mrs. Jeffersons Place and anyone
new to Oldham County knows it as the Acree Place.
Jo Ann Griffin and Joe Passafiume own the second home on the tour. Their
20-acre horse farm, Gotta Dance Farm, was named after Jo Anns
much-loved horse, Gotta Dance. The property contains a seven-stall horse
barn, green pastures surrounded by black fencing and a contemporary
home designed by architect Gerald Stuart Baron.
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Photos
provided
Two
stops on the Crestwood Civic Clubs Holiday Home Tour are
the Gotta Dance Farm home (above), owned by Jo Ann Griffin and
Joe Passaflume, and the Matt and Christy Weaver home (below).
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The 4,500-square-foot home was designed on an open floor
plan that takes advantage of a breathtaking view of the surrounding
rolling acreage through floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the home.
A walkout deck was built onto both the main and upper levels of the
back of the house overlooking the pool and garden area.
A unique feature of the home is the second level Japanese spa room.
The residence contains a simplistic and natural beauty throughout its
design.
The third home on the tour, High House, is owned by Matt
and Christy Weaver. It is located in the Ashwood Avenue Historic District
of Pewee Valley. The house earned its name from the young son of a former
owner who said it appeared to be awfully high in his eyes.
This 21/2 story home is one of two nearly identical houses built around
1906 on the former site of the Kentucky College for Young Ladies, which
burnt in 1898. The home retains its original porch detailing, which
includes truncated Corinthian columns on battered stone plinths, a frieze
with a band of details and a roof-top balustrade.
The home is approximately 4,000 square feet and contains its original
hardwood flooring. Two sets of historic stone gateposts at the front
of the property mark the original drive and front walk.
Proceeds benefit the Crestwood Civic Clubs four-year scholarship
program, in addition to other educational, religious and outreach programs
within Oldham County.
Back to November 2012
Articles.