Berry Mansion

The Berry Mansion was built in Frankfort, Kentucky, in 1900 by George Franklin Berry. It is located on a hill just west of downtown that overlooks the state capitol building.Division of Historic Properties. "A brief History & Self-Guided Tour of the Berry Mansion/Juniper Hill"]

The convert|200|acre|km2|sing=on estate surrounding the home was named "Juniper Hill" after the red cedar trees ("Juniperus virginiana") located on the property.

History

The estate was formerly known as Monroe Hill, after a previous owner, where it was used as a campground for Union Army soldiers during the American Civil War. In 1863, the camp came under attack by Confederate soldiers.

Paul Sawyier, an American impressionist painter, was commissioned by the Berry family to paint views the house and surrounding property. He completed 11 paintings of the estate, 6 of which were retained by the family until they were sold to the Kentucky Division of Historic Properties in 2005.Midkiff, Jill, "Historic Properties acquires original Sawyier watercolor of Berry Mansion", Finance and Administration Cabinet, 2006, http://finance.ky.gov/news/pressreleases/Berry+Hill+Sawyier.htm]

Berry, a bourbon whiskey executive at Old Crow, and his wife both died in the house, in 1938 and 1950 respectively. Their niece, Cornelia Gordon Roberts, inherited the estate until the city of Frankfort acquired it in 1953. The mansion was used as the State Library until 1982, when the State Libraries and Archives was built.

Juniper Hill Park

Most of the estate grounds, convert|194|acre|km2, were converted into Juniper Hill Park in 1956. The park contains a public golf course, playgrounds, volleyball and tennis courts, pavilion and picnic areas, and horseshoe pits. There are also memorials to Desert Storm, World War 2 submarine, and Purple Heart veterans, as well as Kentucky's fallen firefighters. [Juniper Hill Park, Frankfort Parks and Recreation Department, http://www.frankfortparksandrec.com/html/juniper_hill_park.html]

Design

William J. Dodd, a prominent Louisville architect, designed the 22 room home in the Colonial Revival style. The stones used in construction were blasted from the property and created the cellar."The Berry Mansion", Kentucky Division of Historic Properties, http://www.historicproperties.ky.gov/hp/berrymansion/]

Interiors

The home contains elaborate Dining and Drawing Rooms, built with mahogany sideboard. Tapestries and portraits of Berry and his wife accent the rooms. The rooms house many original pieces of furniture, and appear as they did when the Berry's were alive.

The most prominent feature of the home is the Music Room, built in the Gothic Revival Style. The room contains a pipe organ, exquisite bay windows with stained glass, built-in bookcases, a full tiger skin rug, and a balcony used for music performances. Woodworkers from Germany spent two years creating the Gothic paneling and wood carvings in the room. This room alone cost about $65,000, as much as the entire Kentucky Governor's Mansion (built a few years later).

Exterior

The servants' quarters were located in the Laundry structure. It is disconnected from the main house but is connected by a covered walkway. The Carriage House sits nearby and provided room for horses, carriages and later automobiles. The home also boasts a veranda, garden and gazebo. Original stone columns are located on the driveway and bear the inscription "Juniper Hill".

Today

The "George F. Berry House," as it is sometimes known, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.

The first floor of the mansion is available for guided tours, conferences, receptions and other public events.

The second floor currently houses offices for the Kentucky Division of Historic Properties and the Office of the Inspector General for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and is not open to the public.

References