Mayo Mansion (Ashland, Kentucky) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Mayo Mansion
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Kentucky
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1516 Bath Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky |
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| Built | 1864 1917: Significant expansion |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| Part of | Bath Avenue Historic District |
| Added to NRHP | July 3, 1979 |
The Mayo Mansion, also known as the Fetter Mansion, is a beautiful old house in downtown Ashland, Kentucky. It is part of the Bath Avenue Historic District, which means it is a special building with a lot of history.
Contents
History of Mayo Mansion
How the Mansion Began
The story of Mayo Mansion starts with Alice Jane Mayo. After her first husband, John C. C. Mayo, passed away, Alice moved to Florida. In 1916, she met Dr. Samuel P. Fetter in Palm Beach. They got married the next year.
Alice and Dr. Fetter bought a house in Ashland, Kentucky, that was built in 1864. It was called the Gartrell-Hager House and had a Victorian style. Alice wanted to build a brand new house. However, it was during World War I, and the government had rules called rations. These rules limited how much people could build.
Building During Wartime
To avoid breaking the rules, Alice got special permission. Instead of building a new house, she was allowed to remodel the old one. But she did more than just remodel! She used her family's wealth to completely rebuild the house.
She turned it into a huge, 17,000 sq ft (1,579 m2) mansion. The new style was called Beaux-Arts, which is a grand and fancy design. Many of the beautiful inside parts, like the tiles and marble, came from another home she owned in Paintsville, Kentucky. That house was also known as a Mayo Mansion.
Later Years of the Mansion
Over the years, the Mayo Mansion saw some changes. In the 1950s, a large pool house that was connected to the mansion was taken down.
From 1984 to 1994, the mansion was home to the Highlands Museum and Discovery Center. This museum later moved to a different building in Ashland. Today, the Mayo Mansion is a private home, still standing as a historic landmark.
