This riverfront Mannerist-style home is being restored

The Gaffney House has one of the coolest roofs in Louisville

July 20, 2023 • Katie Molck

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.

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.

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