[December, 2014]

Cool. My doctor is at a new location, so I ended up driving by The Red Mile for the first time today.

The Red Mile is the oldest harness track in the world, but what really catches your eye in a drive-by is the historic building, Floral Hall, built in 1875 by Kentucky architect John McMurtry*.  It’s a “large, brick octagonal-shaped building…approximately four stories tall, surmounted by a large windowed cupola. The interior of the building is a large open space, a functional design for use as an exhibition hall.”  It was part of the fairgrounds of the Kentucky Agricultural & Mechanical Association and used for floral displays.   The building was converted to a horse barn when the fairgrounds were sold to the Trotting Association in 1896.  (Wikipedia)  Today, the historic structure houses the Standardbred Stable of Memories.  It’s a museum and event space, open only by appointment.  

*John McMurtry:  a 19th-century American builder/architect who worked in Lexington, Kentucky.  “He designed a number of notable buildings, several of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.”  McMurtry was described as the “man whose work is most representative of the nineteenth century architecture of central Kentucky.”  (Clay Lancaster)  (Wikipedia)