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Maxwell Place is an Italianate villa that serves as the residence of the president of the University of Kentucky. Located in Lexington, Kentucky, it was built on the site of a community gathering place in 1872 for James Hillary Mulligan and his wife. Maxwell Place was acquired by the university in 1917 after Mulligan's death.

History
The current site of Maxwell Place was originally part of a large estate owned by John Maxwell, one of the founders of Lexington. Local legend has it that he gave Lexington its name. On his estate Maxwell had three springs close together. Maxwell designated these springs for public use, and they became a gathering spot for the community, hosting troop encampments, political gatherings, and town fairs. Kentucky statesman Henry Clay once said "No man can consider himself a gentleman until he has watered his horse at Maxwell Springs."

Over the course of the nineteenth century, Maxwell's estate was divided up. The springs and the land surrounding them remained in the Maxwell family until 1850, when they were bought by the Agricultural and Mechanical Association to host their annual fairs. After the Civil War, the Association moved further west and the city of Lexington, led by businessman and city council member Dennis Mulligan, acquired the land as a park. When Kentucky A&M University split from Kentucky University, the city of Lexington donated that land for A&M's first campus. Mulligan also personally bought a 13.5 acre tract that ran along Van Pelt's Lane (now Rose Street), supposedly afraid that it would become a freedmen's town. That tract had been split from the Maxwell estate and sold off in 1820. Before the Civil War, there were several buildings on it, including an house and an amphitheater; however, these had been burned by Union troops.

On that tract Dennis Mulligan constructed Maxwell Place for his son James Hilary. Judge James Hilary Mulligan continued his father's leadership of the Lexington Democratic Party, served as consul-general to Samoa, and authored a widely-known and ridiculed poem, "In Kentucky." Dennis built the mansion for James Hilary and his first wife Mary Huston Jackson between 1870 and 1872. Mary died a few years later, and James Hilary married Genevieve Morgan Williams in 1881. A Nashville socialite, Genevieve used Maxwell Place to host lavish parties. The couple lived there until James Hilary's death.

The University of Kentucky purchased the property from James Hilary Mulligan's estate for $40,000 in 1917. After some renovations, Frank L. McVey became the first president to reside at Maxwell Place. The McVeys began a tradition of hosting locals and guests at the house, including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1963, John W. Oswald became president and moved in; however, after only a short period of time he and his family moved out. Shortly after, the board of trustees authorized the demolition of the house. However, when A. D. Kirwan took over as interim president, he and his wife moved in and the decision was reversed. When Otis A. Singletary became president a year later, he also chose to live in Maxwell Place. The house was reestablished as the residence of the president and saved. In 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Architecture
The architect of Maxwell Place is unknown, but it is believed to be either Thomas W. Boyd of Pittsburgh, who later designed the Scott County Courthouse and two State University buildings, or Phelix L. Lundin, a Swede immigrant to Lexington. Both men had received commissions that may have been political connected to the Mulligans and both were known to design in the Italianate style.

Though located among academic buildings in the center of the University of Kentucky campus, Maxwell Place and its accompanying grounds are offset by a brick wall and iron railing. A curved driveway off of Rose Street leads through the formal gate to the main entrance pergola and the service entrance. Along with the villa, the Fine Arts Building is also located on the original plot purchased by Dennis Mulligan.