Berry Mansion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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George F. Berry House
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| Location | 700 Louisville Rd., Frankfort, Kentucky |
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| Area | 37 acres (15 ha) |
| Built | 1900 |
| Architect | Dodd, William J.; Cobb, Arthur, et al |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 02000915 |
| Added to NRHP | September 6, 2002 |
The Berry Mansion is a beautiful old house in Frankfort, Kentucky. It was built in 1900 by a man named George Franklin Berry. This grand home sits on a hill overlooking the state capitol building.
The large area around the house, about 200-acre (0.81 km2), was called "Juniper Hill." It got this name because of the many red cedar trees, also known as Juniperus virginiana, that grew there.
Contents
A Look at the Berry Mansion
The Mansion's History
The land where the Berry Mansion stands has had many names over the years. One of the first names was Monroe Hill. This was named after Thomas Bell Monroe, who was an important person in Kentucky's government. He built the first big house on this spot, called Montrose.
During the American Civil War, this property became a camp for Union Army soldiers. In 1863, some Confederate soldiers attacked the Union camp here. Luckily, Union cavalry arrived in time to help their friends.
Later, a person known as "Preacher Arnold" owned the property. George Franklin Berry and his wife, Mary Stone Bush Berry, bought the land from Preacher Arnold in 1899. You can still see a watering trough along the driveway with the initials "GFB 1899." This marks when the Berrys took over the estate.
Juniper Hill Estate
The Berrys named their 200-acre (0.81 km2) estate Juniper Hill. This was because of the many red cedar trees, or Juniperus Virginiana, growing there. Mr. Berry was a successful businessman. He worked in the distilling industry in Frankfort. His company, W.A. Gaines & Company, made popular products like Old Crow and Hermitage.
The Berrys hired William J. Dodd, an architect from Louisville, to design their new home. The house shows the grand style of homes built by wealthy Kentuckians back then. It was fancy but still used traditional building styles. The mansion has twenty-two rooms and is made from stone found right on the property. The basement was even blasted out of solid rock!
The Architect, William J. Dodd
William J. Dodd (1862–1930) was a talented architect. He studied in Chicago and worked in Louisville for many years. Dodd learned from famous architectural companies. He even helped design the Kentucky Building for a big fair in Chicago in 1893.
Dodd didn't just design buildings. He also created furniture and other decorative items for his projects. In the early 1900s, he designed vases and pots for a company called Gates Pottery. Other famous architects like Frank Lloyd Wright also designed for this company. These items designed by Dodd are very special to collectors today.
The Berry Family
Mr. George F. Berry (1856–1938) and Mrs. Mary Stone Bush Berry (1859–1950) were married in 1878. Mary's mother, Cornelia Wheat Bush, was the first woman to be the State Librarian in Kentucky.
George F. Berry followed in his father's footsteps. His father, Hiram Berry, was also in the distilling business with W.A. Gaines and E.H. Taylor. They were known for making Old Crow.
Mr. Berry stopped working in the distilling business in 1927. He passed away in the Berry Mansion in 1938. His wife, Mary, lived in the house until 1950. She passed away at age 90. Both are buried in the Frankfort Cemetery.
Art at the Mansion
The Berry family asked Paul Sawyier, a famous American impressionist painter, to create paintings of their home and the land around it. He made 11 paintings of the estate. Six of these stayed with the family for a long time. One was sold to the Kentucky Division of Historic Properties in 2005.
After Mr. and Mrs. Berry passed away, their niece, Cornelia Gordon Roberts, inherited the estate. In 1953, the city of Frankfort bought it. Then, in 1957, the Commonwealth of Kentucky bought the property for $50,000. This included the mansion, a carriage house, a wash house, and about 38 acres (150,000 m2) of land. The mansion was used as the State Library until 1982.
Juniper Hill Park
Most of the estate's land, about 194 acres (0.79 km2), was turned into Juniper Hill Park in 1956. This park is a great place for fun activities! It has:
- a public golf course
- playgrounds
- volleyball and tennis courts
- picnic areas with pavilions
- horseshoe pits
The park also has memorials to brave veterans from different wars and to Kentucky's fallen firefighters.
Architecture and Design
Outside the Mansion
William J. Dodd, a well-known Louisville architect, designed the 22-room house in the Colonial Revival style. The stones used to build the house were taken from the property itself. This also helped create the cellar. The roof was originally made with green clay tiles, which were replaced with the same type in 1992.
The servants' living areas were in the attic. There was also a "wash house" for laundry, which was a separate building connected by a covered walkway. The Carriage House nearby had space for horses and carriages, and later for automobiles. The home also features a lovely veranda, a garden, and a gazebo. Stone columns at the driveway entrance still have "Juniper Hill" carved into them.
Inside the Mansion
The Berry Mansion has many impressive rooms. It includes a detailed library with beautiful mahogany wood. There's also a large parlor and dining room, which were used for entertaining guests. Some of the original tapestries, bought by Mr. Berry, are still in the library today. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Berry hang in the mansion. Some of the original furniture also remains.
The Music Room
One of the most special parts of the house is the Music Room. The Berrys loved music, so they added this room in 1912. William J. Dodd also designed this addition.
The Music Room was very expensive for its time, costing about $65,000 in 1912. This was almost as much as the Kentucky Governor's Mansion cost a few years later! Family stories say that two woodcarvers, one from Germany, worked for two years on the oak walls and fancy Gothic-style decorations.
The Music Room had furniture with wood carvings that matched the room's style. It also featured a huge pipe organ, which cost about $10,000. The organ isn't working right now, and it would cost a lot to fix it. A Steinway grand piano, which is now in a private collection, also added to the elegance of this room.
Mr. Berry even hired Sidney Durst, a music teacher, to teach him how to play the organ. Mr. Durst also performed at special recitals and dinner parties hosted by the Berrys in this room. Important people from Kentucky would attend these fancy events.
The windows in the room had long, red curtains made of fancy fabric. The wooden floors were covered with beautiful rugs and even a tiger skin! The furniture was arranged to create cozy "sitting areas," making the room feel more relaxed and good for conversations.
You can also see juniper trees in the designs of the light fixtures and the stained-glass windows.
The Berry Mansion Today
The "George F. Berry House" is a very important historical site. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.
Today, you can visit the first floor of the mansion. It's open for guided tours, meetings, parties, and other public events.
The second floor of the mansion is used for offices. It houses parts of the Kentucky Division of Historic Properties and the Office of the Inspector General for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. This part of the house is not open to the public.
