Bell Mansion: The Exterior

3/21/25 14 Comments

Authored & Curated By

M.J.G.

David Davis Bell (D.D. Bell), born in 1849 to Henry Bell and Clara Davis, grew up in a large home called Woodside, completed in 1846 in Lexington, Kentucky. In 1880, D.D. married Sydney Sayre. After the death of his father Henry in 1883, D.D. inherited the home. Following a fire in 1884, D.D. collaborated with Cincinnati architect Samuel Eugene Des Jardins to repair and update the property. Although some sources mention William Stewart and list conflicting fire dates (1885 or 1890), the available receipts and construction plans suggest the fire occurred in 1883 or 1884. Once the house was renovated, it became known as The Bell House or Bell Place on some maps.

Throughout his life, D.D. amassed wealth as a dry goods merchant and kept show horses across Kentucky. In 1884, D.D. and Sydney had a daughter, Clara D. Bell, who grew up in the newly rebuilt Bell Place with her parents. D.D. passed away in 1892 at the age of 42 from "paralysis," and Sydney remarried soon after to Arthur Cary.

D.D. left the majority of his fortune and The Bell estate to Clara. Clara, an avid horse enthusiast, married Julius Walsh Jr. of St. Louis at the age of 21. She continued her involvement in business, travel, and social circles.

The Original House
This City of Lexington Map, 1855, displays the original house built by prominent Lexington resident David A. Sayre, in collaboration with renowned architect Thomas Lewinski. Located on a 56-acre tract, construction began in 1845 and was completed in 1846. The home, designed in the Greek Revival style, was initially called the Syre House.

An online copy of the full map is available here.

In this photo, taken in 1857, the earliest known image of the house is captured. Sayre’s business partner, Henry Bell, purchased the house soon after its construction. Frustratingly, the map is torn near the house, but fortunately, it didn’t tear the house itself.

An online copy of the full map is available here.

A Reworked Palace
Henry King Bell passed away on April 7, 1883, leaving the home to his son, David D. Bell. A fire ravaged the house sometime between 1883 and 1884. Research indicates that the structure remained standing after the fire. Following the damage, owner David Bell worked closely with architects, providing detailed instructions for the restoration. Here, actual drawings illustrate the planned work on the fire-damaged home.

While the extent of the original home’s preservation remains uncertain, comparisons with earlier drawings suggest that its general shape was retained. As was typical, updates were made to reflect contemporary trends and conveniences. The brick was painted a terracotta red, though the exact shade of the light trim remains unknown. An August 1884 receipt notes painting outside of house … $600.00. The work order for the actual rehabilitation of the home specified: “All the walls now standing and in good condition are to remain except where they must be changed to be in conformity with the drawings, where the walls are fractured or… injured by the fire they are to be removed and rebuilt.” This confirms that while the house was damaged by fire in the 1880s, it was not completely demolished but instead reconstructed with modifications.

The addition of a carriage port was part of the changes to be made. The style and design of the porte-cochère align closely with the architectural trends of the 1880s and 1890s, reflecting the era’s design principles in every detail.

Zooming in on the plans for the porte-cochère, we can see the detailed design elements that were carefully outlined. The layout and structure reflect the architectural style of the time, with an emphasis on functionality and aesthetic consistency typical of the 1880s and 1890s.

Instructions were given that the present front steps to be used in making steps to the west porch and Porte Cochere. The ashlar of the present terrace may be used in making base of Port Cochere wall. It is clear from these instructions that reusing existing materials was widespread.

All exterior facings of walls where the work is repaired or rebuilt to be made to correspond with the old work as nearly as possible it states clearly in the specification sheets. It is to be assumed then that while Mr. Bell wanted the house to be updated with modern conveniences, he was interested in keeping with the homes original design as well. Though the late 19th century embellishments always make a bolder statement and are much easier to identify. An example of this is the instruction that the entablature of the house to be about a foot higher than before…

A closer view of the sitting room’s window reveals the window transom and its jeweled stained glass window.

One of the several conflicts with the research is the date of the house fire and its rebuilding. The National Register report claims the fire occurred and the house was rebuilt in 1890. However, the actual receipts for the home rebuild begin appearing in the receipt books as early as 1883 and 1884.

The exterior features two large urns resting on what are presumably marble pedestals. Each urn has a large face sculpted on the front.

In this image, one of the urns can be seen behind a group of children, with one of them being Clara Bell, the daughter of David D. Bell.

Clara had a deep love for horses and grew up with a passion for working with them. This image also provides a clear view of the front of the home.

Here is a closer look at the front doors to the right of the enormous urn. The doors featured plate glass inset with bands of stained glass. The top transom was richly jeweled with cut glass, all very typical of the design style of the 1880s and 90s. Several receipts document orders for stained glass windows. One, dated July 27th, 1883, requests making in Gibsons Patent crystalline glass one rich mosaic-stained glass window. Another, dated November 9th, 1883, places a similar order, but with the addition of “leads gilded on both sides.”

Here is a later view of the home, likely from the early part of the 20th century. These photos appear in a photo album book, all taken when Clara was an adult. The house appears to be painted in a single color. The columns of the home were built of brick on stone bases, but the flutings and capitals are made of wood. The spec sheet also clearly states that what is preserved of the original work must be closely followed as a model. This confirms that the Portico, as referred to in the reports, must have been similar in design.

On this side of the home, a double-decker porch is visible.

In the early drawings of the home, there was only a first-floor porch. At some point, this design was changed, or it was altered after the initial construction. Notably, the two windows on the porch have cursive writing on them that states “BoxHead,” indicating that these were likely intended to be floor-length windows that could slide into the pocket or “boxhead”.

A side view of the house reveals how deep the building extended into the property.

A side view drawing matches up with the building. It would be great to obtain an older photo of the home prior to the fire for comparison. When reading through the specification sheets, it states all the arches of the side windows are to be removed and cut stone sills put in… second-story windows are to increase in height, which makes me very curious about what the originals looked like.

Dividing the Property
Later, multiple streets were added to these properties, though they were still owned by the same owners. However, in 1908, after the streets were installed, all of the parcels were divided up and by 1911, after her divorce, she sold the small parcels surrounding the home. What was once all of the property to the right in “Bell Place #1” was reduced to the square marked with the blue arrow.

In this turn-of-the-century view of the house, the brick structure is still visible, surrounded by small streets, although no homes were present on these roads at the time. A brick carriage house was constructed on the left, along with a two-story wood frame building listed behind it. To the right, two one-story structures can be seen, one of which is identified as the laundry.

The Out Buildings
Now let’s take a closer look at the outbuildings on the property. It is not fully clear what all the buildings were used for. First, we’ll start by examining the two on the left.

The property had a carriage house constructed, with the brick painted to match the home. An August 1884 receipt states painting stable per foot 3 coats paint… $210.00. To give us an idea of some of the functions of these outbuildings, painting receipts from a house painter company in 1885 charged for Painting Ice House doors… Cow Stable… Chicken Coop.

A closer view of the second floor reveals some of the carved details. The top sashes of the windows are open in the picture, likely for ventilation. If you look closely at the windows, you can also see shade pull tassels. The small bracketing details and chamfered edges are highlighted with an alternating color, enhancing their decorative appeal and adding a sophisticated touch to the home’s architectural style.

This man appears to be David Bell, sitting on a small but handsome carriage with two beautiful horses.

Can you identify these two metal scrolls on each side of the carriage door?

Our friend Obscurus is the winner! These are Carriage Wheel Guards. The photo is an example from J W FIske’s Ironworks Catalog from 1900.

The chimneys, slate roof, and dormers all feature a level of ornamentation.

The windows are adorned with ornamental bars over them, adding both a decorative and protective element to the design of the house.

Here, we can see the small wood-frame building behind the brick carriage house.

A lady and two children walk with the dogs toward the brick-painted carriage house. These photos were taken during the 20th century, and the carriage house is now painted in a monochrome color.

Now we’ll take a look at the two wood buildings on the right. One is identified as the laundry.

A lady, pulling a wagon with two kids, all unidentified, stands in front of the other outbuilding. A cow stands there so perhaps this was the cow house.

Presumably father and son, holding hands, stand in front of the outbuilding, giving us another view of the wood structure.

The People
A photo of Clara in the early 1900s.

Clara in front of her home on a horse. The couple divorced in 1911, and Clara later moved into the Plaza Hotel in New York, selling much of the land surrounding Bell Place. Clara passed away in 1940 and bequeathed Bell Place to the city of Lexington.

Many photos in the albums remain unidentified. There are numerous pictures of Clara, a few of David, but none of his wife, so far. This makes discoveries like this even more intriguing. Could these men David and his brothers? The mysteries persist…

More to come . . .

Next Chapter We'll Go Inside ...

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