delapitated mansion on the left side of south main street

[chelseathenoob]

does anyone have any information about it?
it's next to a historical society or museum or something.
i'm really interested in it and as to why it's falling apart and nobody is doing anything with it.

[Greg]

The owner is too tight to fix it and he can't find anybody to do it for him. He has let it rot completely down, probably well beyond saving at this point.

[chelseathenoob]

so someone does own it.
i hate to see such beautiful houses go to waste.
>.<
people are just stupid sometimes.
have you ever been inside of it?

[Nosey Nina]

That is the Guerrant mansion. I agree it is a beautiful building and something needs to be done. It is spectacular I am sure when it is in good repair.

[coinz]

The house you speak of is not the Guerrant mansion, there never was a Guerrant mansion. It was the McEldowney mansion. Mr Mceldowney also built the tall white brick faced building by the court house downtown. At some point after the McEldowneys died it was owned by the Buckner family and then Dr Guerrant purchased it and built a breezeway between it and the Guerrant Clinic which is now the Museum. The current owners are the Guerrant family who tore down the breezway when they decided to open the museum. The old Guerrant Clinic was originally the Dr. Ishmael home. Dr Guerrant also purchased the Valentine Bush house on the other side of what is now the museum and tore it down for a parking lot. It was a beautiful Queen Ann home with lots of stained glass windows in it, but this was the '50's and no one cared about historic buildings then. I hope the McEldowney house is saved and I understand that they are trying to find grants to save it. I would guess that it would cost well over half a million to put it back like it was. I was in it nearly 50 years ago, no one had lived in it for some time then and no one has since then.

[Jen]

I think it has been talked about in the Winchester Sun. I'm not sure but I think there is something in the works to try and restore it.

[Sarah Y-W]

If that's the same one that some friends and I sneaked into a few years ago, it's way beyond repair. We used a ladder to climb up on the back of it, and my foot went through the roof. And most of the front porch had fallen in. There was a very limited amount of space that you could walk on up there. And the inside was horrible. Everything was broken and rotted, and there was at least a foot of dust on everything. The stairs were rotting out. I was almost too afraid of them to go upstairs.

[Gene E Yuss]

The City makes the folks over in Poynterville and Hungry Holler tear their old houses down yet they let this eyesore remain. I'd be glad to donate a box of matches and a can of gas to get rid of it.

[oh well]

not something to joke about Mr. Yuss. there are better ways to tear down then burning and no one in danger.

[agree]

From what I've heard, the owners can't/don't want to spend the money to save it. It's a shame and it makes me sad to see it like this. It's looking seriously dangerous,too, like it's gonna fall right over.

[agree]

coinz wrote:

The house you speak of is not the Guerrant mansion, there never was a Guerrant mansion. It was the McEldowney mansion. Mr Mceldowney also built the tall white brick faced building by the court house downtown. At some point after the McEldowneys died it was owned by the Buckner family and then Dr Guerrant purchased it and built a breezeway between it and the Guerrant Clinic which is now the Museum. The current owners are the Guerrant family who tore down the breezway when they decided to open the museum. The old Guerrant Clinic was originally the Dr. Ishmael home. Dr Guerrant also purchased the Valentine Bush house on the other side of what is now the museum and tore it down for a parking lot. It was a beautiful Queen Ann home with lots of stained glass windows in it, but this was the '50's and no one cared about historic buildings then. I hope the McEldowney house is saved and I understand that they are trying to find grants to save it. I would guess that it would cost well over half a million to put it back like it was. I was in it nearly 50 years ago, no one had lived in it for some time then and no one has since then.

I didn't know there was a house where that gravel lot is!
This town sucks when it comes to historic preservation.

[A Mother]

This is sad. When you stop and think about the history that has been lost. I just finished painting a home in North Middle town that was completely restored. It is a beautiful home that was orginally build in the 1800's. So don't think that these vaulable pieces of our history can not be brought back to life. It just takes special people to want to perserve our history.

[A mother]

My Aunt tells me that this was once a hospital. She remembers her grandfather being in the hospital there.

[A Hospital]

This seems to be more than just a home. This was once a hopsital, my aunt's birth certificate has Dr. Guerrant's signature and the place of birth was at the Guerrant Clinic Hospital 217 S. Main St.

[agree]

I remember going to the clinic there in the early 70s.

[coinz]

The Guerrant Clinic was housed in what is now the Museum. The McEldowney house was never used for patients altho they did store records in it. All the patients were either in the Ishmael house which is now the museum or in the 2 story connecting breezway that was once constructed between the 2 buildings.

[coinz]

I think it's great how many people are interested in the fate of this beautiful house. We have lost so many wonderful homes in Winchester and it would be a shame to lose another one. The biggest offenders have been the churches who purchase the property, then have to pay no taxes on it, and tear down the houses there. Some really early homes on Hickman Street were lost a couple of years ago in this manner. The oldest house standing in Winchester, and recognized as such, was torn down on Lexington Avenue to accomodate a church parking lot, as was the Earp house also on Lexington avenue. Let's not forget Breeze Hill which we lost a couple of years ago when a couple of Lexington speculaters bought it and demolished it.

[Mommacita]

Hey Sarah! That was a fun night! At least Winchester and Mt. Sterling are way better about preserving than Morehead. There is nothing in that town of any historical significance anymore

[befuddled]

It's going to take over 1 million to save the McEldowney House. There isn't enough grant money to save it and I hear the Guerrants don't have the money to save it. It would be great to fix it up and use it as a conference/meeting building to go along with the Museum, which by the way is a wonderful place to visit!! Shame the City couldn't have taken the pool money to rebuild the McEldowney House. It would be lovely to hold weddings and receptions, etc. in a grand old place like that. Alas, I'm afraid it's too far gone to save it now. It should have been saved years ago. Even 5 years would have made a difference. It's like a beautiful, graceful, southern belle, caving in on herself from old age due to years of neglect. Also, everyone, take a half hour out of your busy schedules and go tour the museum.

[Mommacita]

That museum next door is great and the people there are super friendly! We even a got a "behind the scenes" look at the rest of the house. The guy who was working showed us the operating room, with all the original equipment, and it was amazing! I believe it was only $1.00 for the tour.