Peterson-Dumesnil House
Encyclopedia
The Peterson-Dumesnil House is a Victorian
-Italianate house in the Crescent Hill
neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky
, USA. Of the remaining large country estates built by Louisvillians in the late 19th century to the east of the city, it is the closest to Downtown Louisville
, and primarily for that reason, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1975.
period, wealthy Louisvillians began to build country houses near the city, where they would spend weekends or summers, and eventually live as faster transportation to the city became available. It was originally one of several similar villa-style houses built on large lots on the south side of Frankfort Avenue, overlooking the valley through which Grinstead Drive now runs. Most as close to Downtown as the Peterson-Dumesnil house were demolished to make way for suburban residential development on small lots in the early 20th century. By 1974, only one other old estate remained in Crescent Hill, and it was irrepairibly damaged by the tornado
that hit Louisville that year.
Joseph Peterson, a wealthy Louisville tobacco merchant, built the house. He was known for his contributions to Louisville architecture, as his 1889 obituary reads, he "built many of the handsome and best structures which adorn our streets". The house is believed to have been designed by local architect Henry Whitestone.
Peterson's granddaughter, Eliza Dumesnil, inherited the house and lived in it until her death in 1948. The Louisville Board of Education then purchased it and operated it as a private club for teachers, the only one of its kind in the United States, but this practice was abandoned and in 1982 the board declared it surplus, and sold the house to the Peterson-Dumesnil House Foundation.
The house is home to the Crescent Hill Community Council in the Louisville Historical League and is rented out for events such as weddings.
The house's Italianate facade is common in mansions of the period, and the exterior is also marked by a large cupola
.
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
-Italianate house in the Crescent Hill
Crescent Hill, Louisville
Crescent Hill is a neighborhood four miles east of downtown Louisville, Kentucky USA. Area was originally called "Beargrass" because it sits on a ridge between two forks of Beargrass Creek....
neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, USA. Of the remaining large country estates built by Louisvillians in the late 19th century to the east of the city, it is the closest to Downtown Louisville
Downtown Louisville
Downtown Louisville is the largest central business district in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the urban hub of the Louisville, Kentucky Metropolitan Area. Its boundaries are the Ohio River to the north, Hancock Street to the east, York and Jacob Streets to the south, and 9th Street to the west...
, and primarily for that reason, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1975.
History
The house was built on a 31 acres (125,452.7 m²) lot in 1869 or 1870. In the post-Civil-WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
period, wealthy Louisvillians began to build country houses near the city, where they would spend weekends or summers, and eventually live as faster transportation to the city became available. It was originally one of several similar villa-style houses built on large lots on the south side of Frankfort Avenue, overlooking the valley through which Grinstead Drive now runs. Most as close to Downtown as the Peterson-Dumesnil house were demolished to make way for suburban residential development on small lots in the early 20th century. By 1974, only one other old estate remained in Crescent Hill, and it was irrepairibly damaged by the tornado
Super Outbreak
The Super Outbreak is the second largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period, just behind the tornado outbreak of April 25–28, 2011...
that hit Louisville that year.
Joseph Peterson, a wealthy Louisville tobacco merchant, built the house. He was known for his contributions to Louisville architecture, as his 1889 obituary reads, he "built many of the handsome and best structures which adorn our streets". The house is believed to have been designed by local architect Henry Whitestone.
Peterson's granddaughter, Eliza Dumesnil, inherited the house and lived in it until her death in 1948. The Louisville Board of Education then purchased it and operated it as a private club for teachers, the only one of its kind in the United States, but this practice was abandoned and in 1982 the board declared it surplus, and sold the house to the Peterson-Dumesnil House Foundation.
The house is home to the Crescent Hill Community Council in the Louisville Historical League and is rented out for events such as weddings.
Architecture
The Peterson House was built after the Civil War, circa 1869-70, in the asymmetrical Italian villa style. It is built of brick on a limestone foundation, painted white, and is two stories tall. The only major alteration to the structure is a new front porch, built sometime after 1898.The house's Italianate facade is common in mansions of the period, and the exterior is also marked by a large cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
.