Ward Hall is located at 1782 Frankfort Road (US 460 W) in Georgetown, KY. Click the "Directions" button above for more specific directions.
can be directed to
the Ward Hall Preservation Foundation, Inc. at
502-370-6621 or wardhall@wardhall.net
Our Mailing Address
Ward Hall Preservation Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 1957
Georgetown, KY 40324
502-370-6621 wardhall@wardhall.net
Follow us on
Facebook & Twitter
$850,000 Needed for Phase One Plan
Restoration Plan
Phase One
Ward Hall was acquired by the Ward Hall Preservation Foundation in mid-2004. The foundation focuses its attention on the much needed restoration of the exterior of the building.
The late Anthony W. Eardley spearheaded the restoration efforts. Eardley was a Ward Hall board member and former dean of the schools of architecture at the University of Kentucky and the University of Toronto. Eardley and other members of the foundation spent several years carefully studying the structure, consulting experts and planning the Phase One envelope restoration of Ward Hall's roof, parapets, chimneys, grand entablature and pilaster capitals. Estimates for Phase One total approximately $850,000.
The Phase One restoration study will soon be added to our website. This will allow the Board to share its plan for this detailed and careful "first phase" effort to preserve and protect the exterior of the building with Ward Hall enthusiasts and supporters.
The exterior of the house is rapidly deteriorating. We must act quickly to avoid damage to the interior," said David Stuart, former chairman of the foundation. "Although we were able to raise $1 million in two years for the purchase, almost all sources of federal and state grant funding no longer exist. We must rely on individual and charitable foundation support for this Phase One Plan, which is desperately needed to save the building's exterior."
Unlike so many other great buildings which saw much change, Ward Hall has seen little change since its construction 150 years ago. The house was completed in 1857 as the summer home for Scott County natives, Junius and Matilda Viley Ward.
The 12,000 square-foot mansion with 27-foot high fluted columns and cast-iron Corinthian capitals measures 62 feet wide and 69 feet long with a 65-foot long grand hall with magnificent plaster decoration in the hall and the formal rooms taken from Lafever's designs in the classical taste.
The Ward family suffered serious financial reverses after the Civil War, and the house and farm were sold in 1867. Since then, there have been approximately 13 owners, but none has made major changes to the structure. Fortunately for the preservation foundation, that leaves a virtually intact house, including the very important 4,000 square-foot basement where servants lived and worked.
Nonetheless, immediate work is needed to prevent further decay and damage to the house. Read Less
We Need Your Donation—Please Contribute to Our Restoration!
Please download and complete our donation form and return it with your tax-deductible contribution or make a donation using the Paypal "Donate" button below (Paypal account not required). The Ward Hall Preservation Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation.
Our other needs include:
• Outside and Inside Security Cameras
• Handicapped Accessible Lift
• Garage and Outbuilding Roof Replacement
• Development of Gardens and Landscaping
