Modern Perspective on an Historic Background

1 The historic, two-story brick Bryan House in Jessamine County rests at the top of a 1,000-foot driveway that curves past what was once a racetrack on the property.

By Heather N. Russell-Simmons Photography by Walt Roycraft

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2 Guests arriving by horse and carriage would have stopped at the home’s front stoop. The original brick pathway still leads visitors into the main house.

As U.S. national and international figure skating team members, Jeb Rand and his wife, Jennifer, traveled to cities all over the globe. While featured principal performers in Ice Capades, Rand fell in love with Central Kentucky. “Rupp Arena was one of my favorite places,” he said. “The friendliness, the warmth, the culture; it was old south hospitality that reminded me of growing up in Atlanta.” After eight years performing in Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular, starring the Radio City Rockettes, the Rand’s turned their attention to finding an antique home where they could raise their children and continue another aspect of their showmanship. “Even while skating, I was producing ice shoes and Broadway-style theater around the world,” Rand explained. “Instead of traveling, Jennifer and I wanted to create a place where people came to us for experiences.”

That place was the Bryan House, a private residence of historical significance until the Rand’s purchased, restored and opened it as one of the largest privately owned special event venues in Jessamine County with an overnight stay license for guests. Recognized by the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Register of Historic Places, the Bryan House has been transformed into an experiential venue that sits on 12 acres of rolling equestrian hills and offers multiple event locations through the property, historic bed and breakfast accommodations, top-of-the line amenities, a gourmet galley kitchen and a seasonal swimming pool.

According to Rand, the mansion was built in 1830 by George and Betty Bryan, relatives of Daniel Boone Bryan who established the nearby Waveland State Historic Site in Lexington and was a nephew of renowned frontiersman Daniel Boone. Finished in 1836, the Bryan House served as a neutral hospital to Union and Confederate soldiers injured during the Battle of Perryville in 1862. “George Bryan was away during the war when two nurses, one Northern and one Southern, commandeered the home. Northern soldiers were sent to Cincinnati, Southern soldiers sent to Atlanta. But while they were here, the Bryan House was a place of peace, neutrality and mutual respect,” Rand explained.

After Betty Bryan died in the 1930s, the home fell into disrepair. Restoration began in the 1980s but was not completed until the Rand’s bought the property in 2019. “When we bought the home, our plan was to take five years to finish the work,” said Rand. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Rand’s worked with local tradesmen and accomplished five years’ worth of restoration and renovations in one year.

Previous owners handled projects like replacing cast iron plumbing, leaving Rand with the kind of painstaking design projects he reveres as an avid historian. “In restoration, our goal was to get back as close to the original as possible,” Rand said.

To rebuild a chimney, Rand explained that he bought antique brick from a bourbon distillery that went out of business during Prohibition in the 1920s. “The chimney brick is as period-correct as we could make it.” While the home’s brick work is spectacular, the tuck-pointing needed to be redone. Four bricks thick, there are about 278,000 bricks in the house. “Removing the mortar was a process,” Rand laughed.

Using black and white photos, Rand turned to Sherwin-Williams to identify paint colors from the home’s history. “Based on the shades of gray in photos from the 1930s and 40s and what would have been available in this region at the time, the Antique Classic Department was able to determine what paint colors would have been used in the home at that time,” Rand explained. The yellow walls in the Great Room are based on a time stamp supported by Rand’s own research that southern homes used lighter paint colors in gathering areas to make the shared space appear larger.

When the Bryan Home was first built, “The North led in industry and functionality,” said Rand. “But by trading cotton with France and Italy, the South led in fashion and style.” This trade brought fabric wall coverings from Western Europe to prominent homes throughout the South. “The designs we chose are indicative of what homeowners would have used then,” Rand said.

“Throughout the home, we made decisions on what décor made sense to maintain originality and the historical value of the home while allowing for functionality of today’s needs,” said Rand. “There were no king-size beds in 1830s,” he said. “This home has them.”

As a member of the Jessamine County historical Society, Rand recognizes the relevance of being one generation away from previous owners of the Bryan House. While sitting in the Gentleman’s Office of the home, he finds himself looking out over the fields and imagining the estate’s 200-year-old history as well as its future. “It’s humbling to know I’m trusted to borrow this house as my home for a few decades,” he said.

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3 For the stair runner and entry rug, Rand chose shades of navy and gray to honor the home’s use as a neutral hospital during the Civil War. “The soldiers were not opposing forces when they were treated here,” Rand explained.

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“It’s humbling to know I’m trusted to borrow this house as my home for a few decades,”

-Jeb Rand

4 When Jeb and Jennifer Rand bought the Bryan House, “The kitchen was about a quarter of the current size and last updated in the 1980s,” he said. With help from his bother-in-law, Rand upgraded to a gourmet galley kitchen that meets the needs of a commercial business for catering events on the property. 5 Original poplar floors, plaster walls and 14-inch baseboards remain in the dining room that can seats up to 16 guests. 6 The Great Room is purposefully sparse in furnishings to allow for flexibility when setting up events. “The relief in the ceiling is a duplicate of what would have been there in 1830,” said Rand. “Using synthetic products instead of plaster, the molds will last longer and not crack like the original.”

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7 At 400 square feet, the Bryan House Master Bedroom was considerable for 1830. This room has one of two original fireplaces in the house.

8 “The Bryan Home was ahead of its time with a bathroom in 1830,” said Rand. As sanitation and technology progressed, occupants went from emptying chamber pots outside windows in this space to using toilets.

9 “Betty Bryan laid in state here for eight days after her death in the 1930s,” Rand said of the Gentleman’s Library. “It’s been estimated that 1,000 people came to pay their respects; a phenomenal number at the time.”

10 As men stood around the two-story columns on the front porch smoking cigars and gambling, women watched horse races from the landing at the top of the stairs. “This spot still offers the grandest view overall of the property,” said Rand.