It’s easy to miss the Gaffney House when you drive down River Road. There’s nothing around it except the Ohio River and a fenced-in field. Despite its isolating locale, the house itself is an important example of 20th-century mannerist design — and it’s currently being restored.
The house was the residence of prominent Louisville architect, James J. Gaffney. He designed and built the three-level home, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, between 1910 and 1927. He’s also responsible for the design of Waverly Hills Tuberculosis Sanatorium.
![Worn down brick building](https://6amcity.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a64a2cc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1147x646+0+60/resize/1000x563!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk1-prod-sixam-city.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F45%2Ff4%2F4fb2a3fe483da7bf16cb71dd9ad2%2F359779340-826216712251825-1317163446619032508-n.jpg)
This is what the Gaffney House looked like before the restoration started in 2021.
Photo via Historic Louisville
Here are few significant design features of the Gaffney House:
- Gibbs Surround — see the blocks that frame of the doors and windows
- A red clay roof that splits an arrangement of pendants decorated with terracotta tiles and brick, each displaying a Mayan-like sun design
- Art glass windows with lily and lotus flower designs
The restoration of the home, which was sold in 2020 for $450,000, is being lead by WorK Architecture + Design and Wilkinson Builders Inc.