Bowling Green in Warren County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

Residential Architecture

Photographed By Shane Oliver, June 5, 2021

1. Residential Architecture Marker

Inscription.

Residential Architecture. . , This immediate area was chiefly residential with commercial properties primarily located on College and Adams Streets. Sandwiched between those two major streets was a neighborhood, a place that people called home. The variety of houses built here reflected the personal style and economic means of the owners. Most of the houses were built during the late-nineteenth century and were of modest construction.

Homes Build with Local Materials , Fortunately good building materials were available locally. Limestone for basements, foundations or piers was cheap and plentiful as Warren County boasted several significant quarries. Brick was available from local makers, and this neighborhood boasted the Frank J. Kister Planing Mill, one of the largest in the region. Popular and hardwood lumber was of local origin, abundant, and thus comparatively inexpensive.

A Front Porch Was Essential , One inescapable feature of homes in this neighborhood was a front porch. Even the tiniest homes included a covered porch area, which provided a cool respite for the family and a welcoming spot for visitors and passersby. Home owners used ornament sparingly, but some decorative brackets and turned posts were used on porches, while from gables occasionally boasted fish scale shingles and fanciful attic vents. Many homes were added to as families expanded or financial means improved, these additions are easily discernible in photographs.

A Variety of Styles Enlivened the Neighborhood , Housing styles in the area varied greatly. The older homes on College Street and several on Center were larger and of masonry construction, but the remainder consisted almost exclusively of smaller frame dwellings. Many of the homes were constructed simultaneously by the same builder creating a “cookie-cutter” appearance on the streetscape. As lots were subdivided, smaller homes – cottages and modified shotgun plans – filled the gaps.

inset photo caption: Home of Ora Porter, one of the first registered nurses in Kentucky.

This immediate area was chiefly residential with commercial properties primarily located on College and Adams Streets. Sandwiched between those two major streets was a neighborhood, a place that people called home. The variety of houses built here reflected the personal style and economic means of the owners. Most of the houses were built during the late-nineteenth century and were of modest construction.

Homes Build with Local Materials
Fortunately good building materials were available locally. Limestone for basements, foundations or piers was cheap and plentiful as Warren County boasted several significant quarries. Brick was available from local makers, and this neighborhood boasted the Frank J. Kister Planing Mill, one of the largest in the region. Popular and hardwood lumber was of local origin, abundant, and thus comparatively inexpensive.

A Front Porch Was Essential
One inescapable feature of homes in this neighborhood was a front porch. Even the tiniest homes included a covered porch area, which provided a cool respite for the family and a welcoming spot for visitors and passersby. Home owners used ornament sparingly, but some decorative brackets and turned posts were used on porches, while from gables occasionally boasted fish scale shingles and fanciful attic vents. Many homes were

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

added to as families expanded or financial means improved, these additions are easily discernible in photographs.

A Variety of Styles Enlivened the Neighborhood
Housing styles in the area varied greatly. The older homes on College Street and several on Center were larger and of masonry construction, but the remainder consisted almost exclusively of smaller frame dwellings. Many of the homes were constructed simultaneously by the same builder creating a “cookie-cutter” appearance on the streetscape. As lots were subdivided, smaller homes – cottages and modified shotgun plans – filled the gaps.

inset photo caption: Home of Ora Porter, one of the first registered nurses in Kentucky.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Architecture.

Location. 36° 59.772′ N, 86° 26.295′ W. Marker is in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in Warren County. Marker is at the intersection of College Street and East 6th Avenue, on the left when traveling east on College Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 601 College St, Bowling Green KY 42101, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. An African American Neighborhood (here, next to this marker); College Street Commercial Development (here, next to this marker); Standard Filling Station No. 1 (about 300 feet

Photographed By Tom Bosse, July 5, 2019

2. Residential Architecture Marker

This marker is the furthest left of the three markers.

away, measured in a direct line); Presbyterian Church (about 300 feet away); Modern Automotive District (about 500 feet away); Cecelia Memorial Presbyterian Church (about 500 feet away); Lower College Street (about 600 feet away); A Civil War Defense Line (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bowling Green.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 13, 2021. It was originally submitted on September 11, 2019, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 254 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 10, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. 2. submitted on September 11, 2019, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.