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Downtown Lexington, 1954
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Children sledding, 1951
Children sledded down a hill on Patterson Street in Lexington in February 1951. During a record cold snap that hit Lexington, the temperature went as low as minus 15 degrees. The brutal cold was part of the Great Storm of 1951, when rain and sleet Jan. 31 was followed by deep cold and snow. The winter storm stretched from Louisiana to Ohio, but Kentucky and Tennessee received the brunt of it. Twenty-five deaths were blamed on the storm, which caused an estimated $100 million in damage — a record at the time. Published in the Lexington Herald on Feb. 5, 1951. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
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Purcell’s department store, 1967
Purcell’s department store at 320 West Main Street in downtown Lexington on Nov. 5, 1967. Purcell’s, which opened in 1887 as a 5-and-10 called the Racket Store, originally was on the north side of West Main Street. In 1923, its founder, Jefferson Davis Purcell, bought property on the south side and opened the department store at 320 West Main. The store was was later enlarged. In its heyday, during the 1940s and ’50s, Purcell’s was not only one of Lexington’s busiest, but one of its most colorful department stores. Customers often bypassed the crowded elevator so they wouldn’t miss anything on display in the store’s 22 departments. It was one of the first in the city to have a live Santa Claus and strolling carolers at Christmas. At one time, the store carried 75,000 charge accounts, said Stanhope Wiedemann, president and CEO of the department store, and a grandson of the store’s founder. Among the many promotions it sponsored were embroidery and meat-carving schools, and a table-setting contest. In 1951, at the request of a Lexington man, employees boxed the man in a crate and delivered him, engagement ring in hand, to his girlfriend’s home. She accepted his proposal. In 1970, after several stores left downtown, Purcell’s closed. The building was razed in 1980 to make way for the $50 million Vine Plaza, which includes the Radisson Hotel and parking garage. Herald-Leader Staff Photo
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Crowd at Union Station for Dewey’s visit, 1948
A crowd gathered outside Union Station on Oct. 12, 1948, to greet New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, the Republican nominee for president. The downtown train station was at what is now the corner of East Main Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard. It was demolished to be replaced by a parking garage in 1960. Dewey would go on to lose to incumbent President Harry S. Truman in one of the greatest upsets in presidential election history. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
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Rupp Arena construction, 1974
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Ades-Lexington Dry Goods building
An undated photo of the Ades-Lexington Dry Goods Co. building, 249 East Main Street. In 1977, the Ades family discontinued the dry goods business, and the building became a warehouse. The site is now home to Portofino restaurant on the first floor and other businesses, including Thomas & King Inc. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
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Vietnam War protest, 1970
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Main Street downtown Lexington, 1945
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Downtown Lexington, 1974
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3-D movie at the Strand Theatre, 1953
The Strand Theatre in Lexington drew record crowds in February 1953 for the world’s first full-length, full-color 3-D movie, Bwana Devil. The theater, at 153 East Main Street, opened in 1915 and closed in 1973. The building was demolished in 1979, and the Lion Building is there now. Bob Erd, who began working at the Strand at age 15, was the projectionist the entire time the theater was open. He died shortly after the Strand closed. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
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Meyers building, 1985
The Meyers building in downtown Lexington, at East Main Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard, on Feb. 17, 1985. For 15 years, it was a men’s and women’s fine clothing store. The Meyers building remains, with more windows in its facade, but building at right is gone, and the expanded Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard takes some of the space. Photo by John C. Wyatt | Staff
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Kentucky Theatre, 1952
Patrons lined up to watch The Big Sky in October 1952 at the Kentucky Theatre on Main Street in downtown Lexington. The Big Sky, an American Western based on the novel of the same name, was written by A.B. Guthrie, who was a reporter and editor for the Lexington Leader from 1926 to 1947. Guthrie published The Big Sky, his first novel, in 1947, and two years later published The Way West, which was awarded a Pulitzer Prize. The cast of The Big Sky, which was directed by Howard Hawks, included Kirk Douglas, Arthur Hunnicutt, Dewey Martin and Elizabeth Threatt. Admission was 70 cents for adults, 25 cents for children. Published in the Herald-Leader on Oct. 13, 1952. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
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Lyndon Johnson at funeral of Kentucky senator, 1951
From left, U.S. Sens. Dennis Chavez (D-N.M.), Ernest W. McFarland (D-Ariz., the Senate majority leader) and Lyndon B. Johnson (D-Texas, the Senate majority whip) talked during the funeral for Sen. Virgil Chapman of Kentucky on March 11, 1951, at the Lafayette Hotel in downtown Lexington. A 25-year veteran of Congress, Chapman was killed in an auto accident in Washington. He was a University of Kentucky law graduate and was buried in Paris Cemetery in Paris. Twelve years after this photo was taken, Johnson would become president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
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Van Halen concert at Rupp Arena, 1988
Sammy Hagar, lead singer for Van Halen, during a Sept. 30, 1988 concert at Rupp Arena. Hagar took over lead vocal chores for Van Halen after David Lee Roth left the band in late 1985. At the time of the concert, the group’s single, When It’s Love, was among the top 10 songs on the Billboard magazine charts. The Rupp concert was the opening show of Van Halen’s fall concert tour, and tickets were $16.50. During the show, Hagar wasn’t above dissing the band’s road crew, including at the end of Where Eagles Fly, a track from Hagar’s 1987 self-titled solo album. What do you do when you’ve just performed an entire song with an out-of-tune guitar? Simple: You get the entire audience of 13,000 to boo the roadie who tuned it, which is what Hagar did. Photo by Michael Malone | Staff
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Mitchell Baker Smith department store, 1965
The Mitchell Baker Smith Co., 230 West Main Street in downtown Lexington, October 1965. At the time of this picture, the department store, which billed itself as “Lexington’s leading department store,” was celebrating its 100th anniversary with a ribbon cutting and employees dressed in old clothing styles. Less than five years later, the store closed. The building was torn down, and the site is now a parking garage for the Lexington Financial Center, locally known as Fifth Third or the “Big Blue Building.” Herald-Leader Archive Photo
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Goodyear blimp flies over Lexington, 1980
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Downtown Lexington, 1972
Aerial picture of downtown Lexington on Aug. 27, 1972. Running horizontally is West Vine Street. Just above the center of the photo is the Fayette County Courthouse, which is now empty. The left side of the block across from the courthouse is where the Lexington Financial Center is now. The towering building is known locally as Fifth Third or the “Big Blue Building. Across North Upper Street from the courthouse is the First National Building, which is being renovated for a planned 21c hotel. The block below that building is the site of the stalled CentrePointe project. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
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A Midsummer Night’s Run, 1990
The start of A Midsummer Night’s Run, Aug. 18, 1990, in downtown Lexington. The 5K race, sponsored by Baptist Health Lexington, has been an annual summer event since the inaugural race in 1985, when 1,300 people participated. The 2015 race on Aug. 8 is expected to have almost triple that number. Photo by Tim Sharp | Staff
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V-J Day celebration in Lexington, 1945
A group of teenagers piled on a car in downtown Lexington on Aug. 15, 1945, during Victory over Japan Day or Victory in Japan Day, more commonly known as V-J Day. It marked the end of World War II and the cessation of fighting against Japan. 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of that day. Here is another photo from that day in Lexington. On Aug, 14, 2015, Lexington Cemetery observed the 70th anniversary of World War II’s end. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
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East Main Street, downtown Lexington, 1956
Two-way traffic on East Main Street in downtown Lexington, looking east, in May 1956. The building at upper right is the Lafayette Hotel. It closed in 1963, and the building now houses the offices of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. Walnut Street, now called Martin Luther King Boulevard, runs next to the Lafayette Hotel. The parking lot on the right side is where the Fayette County clerk’s office sits. Where the Chase Bank building sits now, at left beyond Walnut Street, was occupied by Bradley’s Drugs, among other businesses. Herald-Leader Staff Photo
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