Historic South Hill in Lexington in Fayette County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
Sarah Bennett Holmes
1886-1983
⎯⎯⎯ Holmes Hall
1958-2014
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 27, 2021
1. Sarah Bennett Holmes Marker
Inscription.
Sarah Bennett Holmes
Holmes Hall was dedicated on May
25, 1958 and named for Sarah
Bennett Holmes, who served as the
University of Kentucky Dean of
Women from 1942 to 1957. In
addition to her longstanding service
to the University, Holmes staunchly
defended the rights and welfare of
women students. Holmes earned a
bachelor's degree in education in
1929 and a master's degree in 1939
from the University of Kentucky. In
1944, Sarah Bennett Holmes was
named state mother for Kentucky
and in 1996, received the prestigious
Sullivan Medallion.
Holmes Hall
Holmes Hall was named after Sarah
Bennett Holmes, University of Kentucky
Dean of Women. In 1958, Holmes Hall
opened for 300 University of Kentucky
women students. Each room had a desk,
bookshelf, bed, sliding door closet, and
wash basin. Unlike previous dorms for
women, Holmes Hall did not have paid
counselors to advise and generally look
after the residents. The dorm included
lounges, a kitchen and a study room for
each floor, and a recreation room with one
television and two ping pong tables. The
four story building, designed by Brock and
Johnson,
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was made of red brick and
Tennessee crab orchard stone. Located at
the northeast corner of South Limestone
and Avenue of Champions, Holmes Hall
cost $1.1 million.
Erected by The University of Kentucky.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is May 25, 1958.
Location. 38° 2.476′ N, 84° 30.196′ W. Marker is in Lexington, Kentucky, in Fayette County. It is in Historic South Hill. It is on Avenue of Champions south of South Limestone, on the right when traveling north. Marker is in front of Sarah Bennett Holmes Hall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 111 Avenue of Champions, Lexington KY 40508, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 27, 2021
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 27, 2021
3. Sarah Bennett Holmes / Holmes Hall Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 1, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 674 times since then and 78 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on April 1, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
