Murder and Intrigue at Lexington's old Yocum Motor Lodge

Yocum Lodge, 1229 S. Limestone - Lexington, Ky.
Photo: Lafayette Studios / U. of Kentucky (KDL)

When I stumbled upon the image of the Yocum Lodge, I must admit that I had no recollection of the building which was demolished in June of 1988 (two years before I moved to Kentucky).

All guesses to last week's #ThrowbackThursday were accurate, with the winner being The Streetsweeper. As always, the 'Sweeper provided a bit more insight:

@kaintuckeean In its final days it was reputed to be the location of frequent, illicit, liaisons with working girls. Seldomly changed linens
— The Streetsweeper (@TheStreetsweepr) October 18, 2013

A house of ill repute, eh?

Apparently, the sad tales of the old Yocum Lodge don't end there. On Mother's Day in 1984, a woman visiting her boyfriend who had a room at the old lodge was gunned down by a trio of criminals who were quickly caught on flight in Connecticut thanks to an FBI advisory. The details are contained in news accounts and I won't recreate them here, but the tragedy was made more profound simply by the presence of the victim's one-year old son.

University Inn - Lexington, Ky.
Photo: Fayette PVA

Seem's very Dexteresque.

This tragic site was dozed over about four years later and is now occupied by the University Inn hotel which was constructed in 1997. The location is across South Limestone from the University of Kentucky at Waller Avenue.

A proposed apartment complex had been proposed for the site a few years before, but community efforts and city planners derailed the proposal.

Stay tuned for another #TBT tomorrow.