Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Blog Up-Date # 2
After my history class I went and observed the Maxwell House (Presidents house). The weather was fairly warm and several clouds in the sky. The Maxwell House is made of a red brick. It is surrounded by a red brick gate. At the Maxwell House there are all kinds of different flowers out side of the gate and on the inside of the gate. For each set of flowers there is an automatic sprinkler that sprinkles the flowers when water is needed. In the front year there is a small pond surrounded by rocks and flowers. The yard seems very tidy and neat. As I was observing there were a lot of students that pass by the Maxwell House. They pass the house on the way to classes and there is a short cut to classes if you go through the gate and follow the signs. The house seems to be very homey. The Maxwell house does not seem to be aging that much, it could be that the house has been renovated. It is located right in the middle of central campus. After I got done observing the house there were many questions that came into my mind. Why did the University feel that they needed to buy this house for the president of the University? The president already makes so much money why couldn’t they buy there own house or if they did have another house what was the purpose for two different houses? IF the president didn’t live in the house then what happened to the Maxwell place? Who takes care of the Maxwell place? Do the president and his wife clean the house and take care of the yard or do they have professional people come in and do it for them? If they do have professional people come in who pays for them to take care of the house? Is it the president and his wife or the University? I also wanted to know who goes to the Maxwell house besides the president and his wife. Are students allowed in the house? Do family members come and visit? Whose idea was it to feel the need that the University of Kentucky needed a house on campus? Why does the president’s house have to be on campus? In the future what will happen to eh Maxwell House? Will they continue to renovate it? Will they let it fall apart? Will they sell it? Will they demolish it?
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You raise a number of useful "factual" questions here, but remember to brainstorm "thinking" questions, too. Also, we need a bit better description of the house--how many stories? What style of architecture? Does it remind you of any other house? Make the reader be able to *see it.*
As I walked by Maxwell Place today I noticed the historical marker explaining some of its history. It sounds like the house was almost demolished at some point, but was then placed on the National Historic Register of Places. You could find out more about that time of "peril" for the home, and about why the community decided to keep it. Why do you think we have a National Register of Historic Places? What role do those preserved places play in our community? In what ways is this house being effectively utilized for these purposes, and in what ways not?
Those are some questions that might help you keep digging.
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