Rocky Point
Saving a Building with Grants and Planning
Rocky Point is located in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, in Mercer County. It was built in 1810 for James Haggin, and stands on an original in-lot of Harrodsburg, next to historic Fort Harrod. A grand home for Kentucky during the settlement period, Rocky Point features fanlighted pinned double doors, a large central hallway with a curved stair case and a central hall divided broken by a curved arch supported by delicate double columnettes on each side. The arch is carved with Federal-style flora and festoons. The brickwork on the home is Flemish bond on all four sides; due to the expense, it was the custom in early Kentucky to use common bond on the less significant facades and reserve Flemish for the front of the home. This brickwork, the elegant sixteen over twelve windows and the fine craftsmanship in the woodwork and moldings in the home speak to the status and wealth of the Haggin family.
Around 1822, a wing was added to the north side of the home. Beneath this addition is the original slave kitchen with a large fireplace. The foundation of the house and addition are Kentucky limestone. A mansard roof was added in the 1870s. Evidence of a detached summer kitchen exists in one standing brick wall and the remains of a stone foundation. Handmade bricks formed a walkway that led to the now demolished carriage house and slave quarters.
The entrance hall retains many original Federal-style details.
Credit: James Harrod Trust
This remarkable property was threatened by condemnation and demolition when the James Ben Ali Haggin Trust in New York City donated the funds necessary for the James Harrod Trust (JHT) to purchase Rocky Point. Immediate stabilization and plans for reuse were needed.
In February 2007, the Southern Office granted $5000 through a Kentucky Preservation Fund to cover half of a $10,000 project to develop a structural assessment of Rocky Point, stabilize it and hold a viable-use charette. (The Kentucky Preservation Fund is a cooperative venture between the National Trust, the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office and Preservation Kentucky, the National Trust's statewide partner.)
Using Preservation Fund monies, JHT hired BFMJ Consulting Structural Engineers, Inc. to analyze Rocky Point. BFMJ found the structure to be relatively safe, but identified a number of issues of concern, including the southwest corner. It was beginning to destabilize, due to the movement of an engaged chimney that was pushing the upper portion of the corner outward.
Because PF grants cannot be used for bricks and mortar projects, JHT used the $5000 they had raised as a match to address this structural problem. Working with the Kentucky Heritage Council, they hired Rochester-Miller Restoration, Inc. and Phase IV Construction to dismantle the chimney's upper quarter, build a frame to fill the void that was left, and roof over the repair. When additional funding is available the corner will be rebuilt and chimney reconstructed.
A charette was held to determine a future plan of use for Rocky Point in Harrodsburg, Kentucky.
Credit: James Harrod Trust
The challenge of finding a use for Rocky Point was addressed on 9 February 2008 at a charette funded by the Kentucky Preservation Fund grant. It was held at the Beaumont Inn and at Rocky Point. More than 25 attendees, including local community members, preservation professionals, architects, students and business people participated, including JHT board members Helen Dedman and Craig Potts, Patrick Kennedy from the Kentucky Heritage Council, Amy Potts from Preservation Kentucky and Karen Nickless from the Southern Office. Although the final decision belongs to the JHT Board, consensus was reached at the charette that the highest and best use of Rocky Point would be to return it to its original use as a single-family home, after placing restrictive covenants on the property.
SOLD!
Rocky Point has been sold to a preservation-minded owner who is working with the James Harrod Trust to restore the building as a single family residence. Not only will Rocky Point be saved, but its restoration will create jobs in the local economy and encourage other home-owners in the neighborhood to restore and maintain thier houses.
