In the early morning hours of a fall day in September 2016, in the basement stairwell of an historic home at 218 Stanley Reed Court Street in Maysville, a fire was sparked in an old knob and tube wiring toggle switch.
That fire burned out the staircase and heavily damaged the structure with soot and heat, peeling paint from doors, melting chandeliers, and leaving a heavy acrid smoke smell lingering in the building.
Thanks to the quick and professional work of the officers of the Maysville Fire Department the structure was saved and the fire did not destroy this late 1820’s to early 1830’s row house.
The building was built by Johnston L. Armstrong whose Last Will and Testament was probated in June of 1833. The building has 12-inch brick walls, an oval wrought iron balcony, and Flemish bond patterned brickwork. Newspaper advertisements from the late 1890’s sought renters for rooms in the structure and it was primarily residential in nature.
Later, it began a new life for commercial purposes, first as a dress shop and then as a law office for various attorneys. After the fire in 2016, attorney Ray Bogucki sold the building to Kentucky Property Brothers LLC, owned by brothers Joe and Jeff Schumacher.
After purchasing the building, the Schumacher brothers started the long process of renovation, restoration and rehabilitation. From the outside nothing structurally has changed. The building was given new windows, new street lamps, and a new paint job. The original front door was rebuilt and repainted fire engine red, in honor of the Maysville Fire Department’s work in saving the structure.
Inside the house, a total renovation was done while preserving the historic integrity of the building. New wiring, plumbing, insulation and drywall. Moldings were reproduced to match the original when the original was missing and/or damaged beyond repair. The staircase was rebuilt to look like the original, with the oak handrail and newel post being salvaged from a building being torn down in Louisville. The original oak and pine floors, as well as the original mantle pieces, were repaired and refinished, and original doors stripped, repainted and reused. Three full baths, a new kitchen, and new black wrought iron light fixtures completed the renovation.
Since its restoration, the building is designed so it can be utilized as one two-story home or may be used for commercial use downstairs and a full apartment upstairs. There is a rear entrance and two rear off-street parking spaces.
One of Maysville’s fine old structures is now new again and shows the great potential that downtown Maysville has if buildings are renovated and utilized instead of being neglected and torn down.
An open house will be held on Saturday, April 6, noon3 p.m. for the public to view the renovated building.
