Today we’re taking a break from centerpieces, wedding cakes and color palettes to reflect on how far Warrenwood has come over the years.  We always talk about how we started restoring Warrenwood in 2014, but really the effort began long before we came along [like a long time before I was even born :)]  Let’s throw it back to the 1970’s.

This old house has gone through phases of glory and then vacancy with a corresponding roller coaster of restoration and dilapidation.  On April 4, 1976 The Kentucky Advocate Newspaper published an in depth story of one such restoration of Warrenwood in their Sunday edition.  It tells the story of how the H.C. Abbott family saved this historic house in the mid 1970’s.  You can see photos from 1973 where the house is need of major structural repairs.  Then you can read about the completed renovations.  This article, written by Brenda S. Edwards, celebrates every detail of Warrenwood.  It is amazing to see how different, yet the same, the property was over 30 years ago.

Within a year of this article, Warrenwood was added to the National Register of Historic Places alongside two other homes in Danville, the Mound Cottage and the Helm-Gentry House.  The below photos were taken by Mary Cronan Oppel on behalf of the Kentucky Heritage Commission as a part of a Kentucky Survey of Historic Places and accompanied Warrenwood’s application to the National Register.  The Federal Historic Preservation Act of 1966 required states to make a record of their historic properties and these photos were taken to inventory Warrenwood’s property.  The first thing I think when looking at these images is, “Where are all the trees?”.  I bet it was much easier to care for this minimal landscaping as opposed to our tree-lined drive and flower-filled beds.  In the background of some of the images you can see at least two barns that aren’t around anymore.  If you have been to Warrenwood you will be able to pick out countless changes made since these images where taken, but the grand essence of the property remains intact.  We hope to continue to restore Warrenwood so that people can enjoy it for many, many years to come.