The rebuild of this Richard Isenhour designed Lakewood Estate home honors original design features while breathing in new life
When asked why she and husband Oggie purchased a mid-century modern home just down the street from their own Lakewood Estates home, which they had no plans to vacate, Beth Hilliard said, “It was really about the cars.”
The cars in question are her husband Oggie’s collection of hot rods and street rods, which he’d had in storage for years.
With an eye on the lot where the garage behind the home now stands, Oggie Hilliard spoke with the previous owner of the Manor Drive home.
“She had started renovating, but was going through a transition,” Beth Hilliard said. “We ended up buying the house [as well as the adjacent lot].”
After purchasing the property in 2002, the Hilliards constructed a new garage to house their car collection, but also incidentally found themselves with a house that they weren’t planning to inhabit —one that needed quite a bit of work.
Built in 1974, the original home was designed by famed Lexington architect Richard Isenhour in his signature mid-century modern style, with a low profile and open floor plan, simple lines and large windows that allow natural light to flow throughout. Isenhour built and designed nearly 100 homes in various Lexington neighborhoods between 1956-1978, making this one of his later projects.
After purchasing the home, the Hilliards rented it to college students and other tenants.
“It ended up housing people through transitions, such as a couple who lived here while their house was being remodeled, and a man who lived here for a few months while going through a divorce,” said Hilliard.
One of the students who lived in the home was the Hilliards’ daughter, Shelby Brinker, who was attending the University of Kentucky College of Architecture at the time. She was tasked with keeping up with maintenance on the aging home while she inhabited it, which she admits was no small task. The house had fallen into disrepair before the Hilliards purchased it, and as the years went by the maintenance issues were becoming more apparent.
“The systems were failing. The heating and air had gone out, the water heater had gone out, and it was really moldy,” said Brinker. Other issues included a disintegrating concrete slab, failing plumbing and termite damage.
“I learned a lot,” she said with a laugh.
In January 2020, the Hilliards decided it was time to make some decisions about the house. Knowing it boasted an ideal layout for aging in place, they considered renovating it and moving into it, but also considered they might want to sell in the future. The renovation needs were so extensive that the family was now considering completely demolishing the home and building something new.
“That’s when I feel like I put my stake in the game, because it is such a cool house,” Brinker said. “I thought it was worth talking to a professional about preserving it.”
With the goal of helping her parents find an architect familiar with the complexities of renovating and preserving an Isenhour house, she consulted with some of her contacts from architecture school, who guided the family to Clive Pohl of Pohl Rosa Pohl Architects.
“We also talked about saving the original Isenhour design, but structurally, it just couldn’t be done,” Brinker said. Still, the family continued a dialogue with Pohl about what it might look like to create an energy efficient home that would uphold many of Isenhour’s original design principles.
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Natural light, organic woodwork and other natural features are plentiful in the Manor Drive home. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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Natural light, organic woodwork and other natural features are plentiful in the Manor Drive home. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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Natural light, organic woodwork and other natural features are plentiful in the Manor Drive home. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
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Natural light, organic woodwork and other natural features are plentiful in the Manor Drive home. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
“We still didn’t know who was going to live here, so we kept in mind things that would also make it marketable,” said Hilliard.
During that time, Brinker and her husband Kory, a physician, were feeling a pull to move back to Lexington. After determining that their careers would allow them to move, they decided they would move into the home. The couple moved in late 2022, and now live there with their nearly 18-month-old son, Ollie.
While tearing down an historic build of such an esteemed architect was not without its pangs, Pohl and his crew put in painstaking work to honor Isenhour’s original vision and design.
“We have a long-standing respect for Isenhour,” Pohl said. “We really wanted to do the home justice with whatever we proposed, and the owners wanted the same thing.”
The result is a new build that replicates much of the original floor plan, with some modifications that honor Isenhour’s style while keeping the hallmark open floor plan and use of natural light.
A favorite spot for Hilliard and Brinker is the combined open kitchen, dining and living area, which has become a favorite family gathering place.
Brinker said, “It’s hard to articulate what this main area makes you feel, but it’s grand. We come from a long line of entertainers, and this is perfect for that.”
The room incorporates the home’s original stonework, with a wall of glass overlooking the backyard and letting in a lot of light. With a neutral palette for the walls and cabinets, the granite countertops and backsplash from Counter Culture stand out.
Brinker’s dad owned a granite business for a time, so the material was a decision the couple were sold on before they even started.
“For durability and price, it’s exactly what we wanted,” Brinker said. “We like the organic-ness of it and the big stripes of coppery color with the reds and oranges.”
Another well-used spot for the family is the front porch.
“Front porches were not a mid-century modern thing. At that time, everything was in the back of the house,” she said. “Clive gave us this beautiful front porch that works well with the existing geometry, and it’s covered. It’s one of our favorite features.”
Another deviation from the typical Isenhour is the addition of a second floor above the attached garage, which allows the family to have a peaceful guest suite away from the family’s bedrooms with a balcony that provides a beautiful view.
The extensive renovation allowed Pohl to greatly enhance the mechanical systems and use exterior finishes that require no maintenance, resulting in a zero-maintenance, high-performance house.
“‘Zero-maintenance’ refers to exterior finishes that will never need anything. This siding looks like wood, but it will never need any attention,” he explained.
Redoing the home's garage, where Oggie still keeps a handful of his classic cars, is another project the Hilliard's plan to tackle in the future. Photo by Emily Giancarlo
Thickening the walls and adding extra insulation between the studs and continuous insulation on the outside were other touches that help improve energy efficiency of the design.
“In addition to improving systems that provide heating and cooling to the interior, we used renewable resources in the form of geothermal systems,” he said.
A consistent goal of Pohl Rosa Pohl is to work with clients toward net zero homes — i.e., creating a home that is so energy-efficient that it produces as much renewable energy as it consumes, resulting in net zero energy bills.
“Getting to net zero is a balance between the heart and the wallet,” Pohl said. “It’s something I attend to with all of my clients, and every client strikes the balance in a slightly different way.”
The Manor Drive renovation was a labor of love for the entire family and was held up several times due to supply chain issues during the pandemic. But they couldn’t be happier with the results and have nothing but praise for Pohl and for contractor Jim Smith and Showplace Company. The family is looking forward to the future of the home.
Brinker admitted that their work is not yet finished.
“There are still things to do. Things linger,” she said. “We still need to get the painters back, and we’re waiting on a stonemason to fix the front steps.”
But she’s also looking forward to the future with excitement about the possibilities ahead.
“I’m not afraid of color. That’s what I’m excited about for the future of the house,” she said. “When we were picking paint colors, we were all overwhelmed, so we went with a neutral wall color and trim color, [but] I’ll be painting and adding more colors and patterns.”
Redoing the garage, where Oggie Hilliard still keeps a handful of his classic cars, and adding some sort of covered outdoor space and possibly an outdoor kitchen are other plans that are on the table.
“Everyone put a lot of time and money and effort and love into it,” Brinker concluded. “We love it….It’s just fabulous. It’s a home that can grow and adapt for a family at all stages of life.”
The home has become a favorite gathering place for multiple generations of the Hilliard / Brinker family. Pictured here, from left to right: Ollie Brinker, Beth Hilliard, Oggie Hilliard, Shelby Brinker and Kory Brinker. Photo by Emily Giancarlo