White Hall's Brick Construction and What It Tells Us About Richmond
White Hall, built in 1798-99 as a seven-room Georgian brick house for Gen. Green Clay, was enlarged in the 1860s by his son, emancipationist and newspaper publisher Cassius Marcellus Clay; the Commonwealth opened it to the public as a state historic site in 1971. That brick-and-timber construction reflects the building materials common to Richmond's earliest structures, a contrast to the wood-frame and modern siding that dominates most of the city's housing today.
Two Eras of Wall Construction in Richmond
Richmond's broader housing stock split into two eras after that: older in-town neighborhoods near what is now Eastern Kentucky University (founded 1906), and newer construction pulled in along the I-75 corridor. Each era used different sheathing, trim, and wall-assembly methods, and each weathers differently.
Project Paths
Planning Siding Work Around Richmond's Building History
A siding project in Richmond should start with which era a property falls into -- older wood trim and sheathing near the historic core call for a closer look at flashing and moisture history than a newer build along the I-75 corridor.