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Wildwood
Prior to the Civil War, when a house was constructed in central Kentucky, most materials used for construction were from the site. Wildwood was no exception. The wood for framing and trim all came from walnut, oak, or ash trees grown on the farm. A brick kiln was set up in the yard, and bricks were fired on site. Glass for the windows, lamps, and chandeliers, wall paper and paint, and hardware had to be purchased.
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To accomplish the historic restoration, Ralph and Ruth assembled the same design team that had successfully restored Walnut Hall. Since Wildwood was to function as the Anderson Circle Farm main office, the design team decided at the outset that this new function should not be incorporated into the existing house. Since ample open space existed to the west, the addition was constructed away from the main house with a narrow neck serving as the passage between the main house and the addition. All details found on the original Wildwood residence were repeated on the addition. The brick used to construct Wildwood was relatively common to this region, and sufficient quantities were found in other locations in the state to construct the addition. When completed, the brick on the new addition and the existing residence could not be distinguished.
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The restoration of the interior presented no real challenges. The most difficult installation was the total rewiring, and similar to Walnut Hall, the existing brick was chiseled out to allow installation of new wiring and outlet boxes. New heating / cooling systems were installed in both the basement and attic to avoid disruption of the interior spaces. Woodwork within the residence was stripped and refinished, plaster walls and ceilings were repaired, and floors were sanded and refinished.
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