LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Louisville couple is actively working to bring a facelift to a home with a lot of history. The home is nestled in Louisville’s Russell neighborhood and the couple has hopes to preserve Black history through its renovations.
Kaila Washington is a doctoral student, Army reservist Gaberiel Jones Jr. is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Louisville. The couple of seven years bought their Russell home on June 6, 2021 for $60,000 cash. They’ve got plans to hold on to the 134-year-old, 11,000 square foot Victorian mansion for a lifetime.
“We really have a responsibility to save this piece of Louisville history, this piece of Black history,” said Washington.
Washington and Jones remain in awe as they walk up steps to their 16 room Victorian mansion today. The couple had been in search of a home to buy in the Russell neighborhood for five years, but didn’t settle until it was right.
“Every kind of gross, disgusting piece of junk that you can think of was in this room,” said Jones.
The mansion was filled with peeling ceilings, dust filled books and even crumbling bricks when it was bought. The gem in the Russell neighborhood sat empty for 10 years. The couple says they will be the second Black family to live in it.
According to Vision Russell, the Russell neighborhood was one of the most desirable and diverse neighborhoods to live in before the floods of 1937 and 1945, when most of the white residents moved to higher ground.
“They were advertising this house in the Courier Journal specifically as, will sell to colored people, colored people take interest,” said Washington.
One of the worst rooms in the mansion is on the third floor. But the couple knows beauty lies beneath its surface, and preservation of a Black Louisville neighborhood is a priority for them.
“So where we wanted to be is where the people look like us. We want to invest where the people look like us, we want to build wealth where the people like us. And where can benefit our neighbors that have been perpetually harmed for decades,” said Jones.
Washington echoes Jones, wants their home to be a place of comfort for their future children.
“I want my future family to walk around and be like, ‘Yeah, that person looks like me, I’m not afraid they’re going to call the police on me because I’m walking around my neighborhood,’” said Washington.
Washington and Jones know the money they’ll put into the home means more than a facelift. They believe it will be a stepping stone to destigmatizing the neighborhood of Russell.
The pair plan to dedicate the first floor to a kitchen, family room, and formal dining room. While the second floor will be a suite of rooms for their future family. The third floor will be dedicated to an Airbnb. The couple believes it will take $350,000 dollars to make the renovations needed and they hope to be complete in the next two years.
To keep up with Washington and Jones, you can follow their Instagram page ‘Remaking a Mansion’.