Fincastle

An Estate of Exceptional Pedigree

Written by Rex Lyons / Photography by Eric Williams

Do houses reflect the people who live in them or are the people reflections of their home and environment? Such a question is far beyond my inchoate and esoteric reasoning. However, I do know that houses, just like horses, dogs, and people, have pedigrees, some good, some bad, most indifferent, and on rare occasions exceptional. The house that luxury homebuilder Penny Love and her husband, developer Steve Canfield, now call home is a house with one of those exceptional pedigrees.

The Colonial Revival style house located in Prospect was built in 1937. Said to have been inspired by Ridgeway in St. Matthews, the house also bears a resemblance to the William “Lord” Morton house and Rose Hill, both in Lexington, as well as The Grange in Bourbon County. The interior of the house, however, unlike the typical Southern arrangement of antebellum residences, is pure pre-WWII grand country house architecture. Acquired in 2005, the residence was owned by just two families prior to the current owners’ purchase.

On March 25th, 1929 the following small item appeared on the Chicago newspaper society page, “ Married. Mary Meeker, Chicago socialite, daughter of Vice President Arthur Meeker of Armour & Co.; and Ambrose C. Cramer, architect, who was divorced two years ago on the ground of desertion by Mary Meeker’s older sister Grace: in Washington, D.C.” Ambrose Cramer was a wealthy Chicago society architect who had worked with the famous estate designer and art patron David Adler on many of the lavish Gold Coast estates and residences. Relations with the senior Meekers must have remained genial because that same year Adler designed “Constantia”; a summerhouse for the Meekers in Montecito, California. As his later commission in Kentucky would be, the design for Constantia was based on a historic structure, this time a Dutch Colonial Cape residence.

At the height of the depression, George Washington Norton III hired architect Ambrose Cramer to design the house that is the centerpiece of Fincastle Farm. The red brick, Georgian style residence, and adjacent cottage were completed in 1937.

George Washington Norton III graduated from Yale University and the Harvard University School of Law in 1926. Two years later he married Jane Morton, the daughter of Dr. David C. and Mary (Ballard) Morton. Norton began his broadcast career with the purchase of WAVE radio station in 1933. In 1948 WAVE-TV was the first television station in Kentucky, and in 1962 it pioneered color television in the state. A gentleman farmer, Norton’s WAVE-TV broadcast a unique, live, local farming program. His wife, Jane Morton Norton, was an accomplished businesswoman, artist, and author, exhibiting her paintings in galleries from New York City to Lexington, Kentucky. However, she is best remembered for her civic and philanthropic work. On the board of many local arts groups such as the Louisville Orchestra, the Kentucky Opera Association, and the Kentucky Center for the Arts Foundation, she also served as a trustee for Center College and Shakertown. At her death in 1988, Mrs. Norton left over $10 million to local charities.

The Norton family sold Fincastle Farm and the house to W. L. Lyons Brown, Jr. He has been the president, chairman, CEO and director of the Brown-Forman Corporation, as well as being appointed by three presidents to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. Active in both cultural and educational causes Brown served for over 15 years as an honorary consul to France and is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the World Monuments Fund. Last month he was named as an honorary trustee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. While serving as ambassador to the Republic of Austria, Mr. Brown sold the residence to Love and Canfield.

The house has always been well taken care of, but by the time Love got hold of the property, it was time for an update to bring it into the 21st century. She undertook a whirlwind five-month renovation of the house, guesthouse, pool, pool house, and garden. Acting as both general contractor and interior designer, she was responsible for the entire project. Major changes to the house included turning old servant quarters into a self-contained apartment and converting the old servants’ hall and service porch into a comfortable sitting room. She had to work very carefully to fit updated wiring and plumbing into the old fabric of the house without damaging the esthetic integrity of the design. For example, to provide air conditioning to a sunroom, a false chimney was constructed from matching brick on the open porch below the sunroom. This chimney now houses the cooling units. Ductwork was concealed in a false ceiling and decorative cornice on the porch below. Every care was taken to preserve the original design.

From the front motor court, the house appears to be a one-story house with a center section and two hyphen-wings. In reality, the home is a two-story house with a full basement. The true scale of the building can only be seen from the garden side. Built with an “upside-down” design made famous by local architect Stratton Hammon, the front entrance opens to a large stair hall on the bedroom floor. A circular staircase descends to the lower floor, which contains the public rooms, overlooking the rear garden. Delicate reeded columns flank the archway over the stairway and doorways. The opening to the cross-hall leading to the bedrooms is topped with a delicate fanlight matching the one over the front door. Opposite the arch over the stairway, a matching arch forms a slight recess for an English bow front serving table with bellflower inlay. All of the woodwork in the house is perfectly balanced and matched. False doors are used to provide perfect symmetry where needed.

The lower stair hall has reeded columns, woodwork, and arches to match the hallway above. Again everything is perfectly balanced and matched. The floors in the house are all original and are quarter-sawn oak. Those on the upper floor are narrow two-inch boards, while those on the lower floor are six, nine, and 12 inches wide. They have all been refinished to a soft medium brown with a low sheen. Carpets in both of the hallways keep to the muted soft neutral colors that Love has chosen for the entire house.

The library contains a pair of large bay windows that overlook the rear garden and pool. A sizeable collection of antique leather bound books fills the shelves of the room. Schumann’s Antiques completely refinished all of the walnut paneling and bookshelves in the room.

The oval entrance hall on the garden front is completely paneled; even the doors are curved to follow the line of the room. Each of the sections has original period paintings, by an unknown artist, of scenes that reflect life on the farm during the Norton residency. These have been restored and reglazed and are a wonderful window into life at the house during the 1930s and 40s.

The formal living room, decorated in the soft neutral colors that emphasize the woodwork and details so well, is surrounded by gardens. Steps lead up to French doors that open onto a partially brick-walled front garden. Two additional pairs of doors open onto a side porch leading to a formal garden, fountain, and the charming guest cottage. Rear windows overlook the terraced lawn leading down to the creek. A pair of Old Paris porcelain urns sits on each side of the original mantle flanking a portrait of the owner. The soft colors of the Oriental carpet are reflected in the upholstery and accessories.

Chippendale style woodwork and fine mahogany furniture are featured in the long dining room. Artist Jim Hurst has taken a color palette from the room’s Oriental rug and created an elegant and fanciful garden landscape that enhances the finely detailed woodwork and the delicate tracery on the original built-in china cupboards. Building on their own collection of antiques, Canfield and Love have added furnishings from several different local sources to fill out the home’s over 10,000 square feet of space. Wakefield –Scearce, Trace Mayer, and Bittners have all been sources for the beautiful antiques that grace every room of the residence. Carved Chippendale style chairs surround the mahogany pedestal dining table.

The formal living room, decorated in the soft neutral colors that emphasize the woodwork and details so well, is surrounded by gardens. Steps lead up to French doors that open onto a partially brick walled front garden. Two additional pairs of doors open onto a side porch leading to a formal garden, fountain and the charming guest cottage. A pair of Old Paris porcelain urns sits on each side of the original mantle flanking a portrait of the owner. The soft colors of the Oriental carpet are reflected in the upholstery and accessories.

The library contains the second of a pair of large bay windows that overlook the rear garden and pool. A large collection of antique leather-bound books fills the shelves of the room. Schumann’s Antiques, on Taylorsville Road, completely refinished all of the walnut paneling and bookshelves in the room, restoring the original rich color to the wood. A sofa, comfortable leather chairs, and a Sheraton style open armchair provide seating.

A complete new kitchen suitable for family use every day or catering large events was created using the footprint of the existing kitchen. The refrigerator now covers the old call box that summoned servants to different rooms in the house.

The major changes to the dwelling have occurred in the former service areas. The former flower room has become a convenient wet bar, but the gun room still contains its wall of locked cabinets fitted out for hunting rifles. A completely new kitchen suitable for family use every day or catering large events was created in the existing kitchen area. All new appliances include a professional Thermador gas range and double dishwashers. The refrigerator now covers the old call box that summoned servants to different rooms in the house. Custom cabinetwork with granite countertops and a friendly eating area all designed by the owners grace what was formerly a much more utilitarian space.

The most recent addition to the house is the expansive family room created from a smaller existing room and new addition. Huge windows overlooking the pool and wooded lawn sloping down to the creek bring the woods and nature right into the room. Large comfortable furniture and sisal floor covering make this area both family and dog friendly. In fact, the special dog room is right next door. The high beamed ceiling and woodwork reflect the detail in the original part of the house.

Resembling a large English park, the grounds of the property are a rich combination of old gardens with majestic boxwood and new landscaping that perfectly enhances the rural natural setting for the house. Love restored the unique pool and pool house during the renovation.

Across the formal rose garden, located to one side of the house, sits the charming guest cottage. From its fan lit door, the beautiful cherry paneled front door surround and fireplace wall, to the exquisite needlepoint carpet on the floor, it is a perfect small jewel. A small kitchen, a bath, and bedroom join the living room to make this the ideal get away spot or guest quarters.

Across the formal rose garden, located to one side of the house, sits the charming guest cottage. From its fan lit door, the beautiful cherry paneled front door surround and fireplace wall, to the exquisite needlepoint carpet on the floor, it is a perfect small jewel. A small kitchen, a bath and bedroom join the living room to make this the ideal get away spot or guest quarters.

The grounds of the property are a rich combination of old gardens with majestic boxwood and new landscaping that perfectly enhances the rural natural setting for the house. Korfhage Landscaping helped with the design and execution of the new landscaping work. The grounds look like a large English park. One of the owners’ favorite things about the house is the beauty of the grounds during all four seasons of the year. Another is the tranquility and privacy offered by the rural setting yet still being only minutes from downtown. Leaving the farm one night recently, six deer were grazing along the drive near the stone bridge. Of the original farm, over 80 acres still belong with the house ensuring that the private park-like atmosphere will continue for years to come. I think all three different sets of owners would approve.