Lexington Herald (September 11, 1955)

Robert Pierson wasn’t a house builder, he was a real estate entrepreneur.  After acquiring and surveying land, developing a plan, laying out building lots and roads, and improving the overall site, he sold lots to builders who would often acquire several parcels at a time to construct homes for resale.

After developing the Prospect Hill and Skycrest subdivisions, both of which fronted on Harrodsburg Road, Pierson and his business partners set their sites on a large section of adjoining land bound by Harrodsburg Road, Mason Headley, Lane Allen, Parkers Mill, and Versailles Road. The community they planned, Gardenside, would ultimately be one of Lexington’s largest subdivisions; including over 2,000 homes.

Pierson and his partners didn’t plan on developing all of the property at once. Instead, they planned on adding a few new units a year. They began, for example, in 1954 by developing three units, Section 1, 1A and 2, totaling 135 lots. Each year additional units were opened; the number and size depending on projected sales.

Plat Map Gardenside Section 1

Plat Map Gardenside Section 1-A

Plat Map Gardenside Section 2

The final unit wasn’t developed until 1961; seven years after the first unit was opened. Because they were operating on such a large scale and controlled all aspects of the development, Pierson and his partners were concerned with long-term planning issues. To promote predictability in the market and protect their investment, they developed a master plan for the entire community.

Gardenside master plan, c. 1954. Courtesy Trapp Communication LLC archive.

In addition to laying out roads, house lots, curbs, sidewalks, utilities, and landscape, they planned for schools, churches, shopping centers, parks, and recreational facilities. While most of the master plan was ultimately carried out, there were a few major changes that will be discussed in another post.

To protect their investment, Pierson and his partners also became advocates of carefully written deed restrictions, a private form of zoning. As a result, they exerted careful control over the character of Gardenside. Deed restrictions will be discussed further in another post.

By September 1955, just 15 months after opening, nearly 200 homes had been sold and Gardenside was officially Lexington’s fastest growing subdivision.

Lexington Leader (April 22, 1956)

In the fall of 1956, International Business Machines, IBM, announced they were constructing an electric typewriter manufacturing plant in Lexington and would eventually hire over 1,800 employees.  Many families who moved to Lexington with IBM chose to live in Gardenside. A year after IBM’s arrival, over 2,400 people called the new neighborhood home.