The Hamburg Place Community is home to over 2,000,000 sq. ft. of retail space, 160 acres of professional offices, and 1,000 acres of residential development.
While Hamburg Place is now home to an array of businesses, shops, and restaurants, this has not always been the case.
A History of Hamburg Place
In 1897, John E. Madden, "The Wizard of the Turf", had a pair of strong two-year-old thoroughbreds: Hamburg and Plaudit. Madden sold Hamburg for a record $40,001 to copper king Marcus Daly, and in 1898, used the proceeds of this trade to buy a piece of land on Winchester Pike in Lexington, KY. He named his new-bought farm Hamburg Place - in honor of the horse that financed the land. The second thoroughbred, Plaudit, went on to win the 1898 Kentucky Derby, and became the first of several champion stallions that stood at Hamburg Place.
As John E. Madden bred five winners of the Kentucky Derby (Old Rosebud - 1914, Sir Barton - 1919, Paul Jones - 1920, Zev - 1923, and Flying Ebony - 1925), five winners of the Belmont Stakes (Joe Madden - 1909, The Finn - 1915, Sir Barton - 1919, Grey Lag - 1921, and Zev - 1923) and the first Triple Crown winner (Sir Barton - 1919), he rapidly grew the farm to over 2,000 acres.
John E. Madden had two sons, Edward and Joseph - neither of which were very interested in making a career out of their father's business. However, Edward's youngest son, Preston, took over management of the Hamburg Place farm in 1956. Preston revived the successful breeding of thoroughbreds at Hamburg Place; most notably with T.V. Lark and Alysheba.
At stud at Hamburg Place, T.V. Lark became the leading stallion in North America for 1974. His get included the roan filly, Pink Pigeon, who raced for Madden and set a then World Record of 1:58 1/5 for a mile and a quarter. Alysheba won two legs of the Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes) in 1987, and became the world's leading money-winning thoroughbred while racing in 1988. Preston Madden bred Alysheba's dam and his second dam.
The Development
The Madden family worked against government plans to run I-75 through the farm, but ultimately in 1964, the interstate bisected Hamburg Place. This interstate construction marked the beginning of an era of development in Hamburg Place. The city of Lexington began to construct sanitary force mains and included all of Hamburg Place in the Urban Service Area.
For years, Anita Madden, Preston's wife, had ideas and visions of a retail shopping development. Throughout the late 1980s and early 90s, Anita and their son, Patrick W. Madden began to attend local planning and zoning meetings, as well as shopping conventions across the country.
The Madden's began to lease and occasionally to sell some of their land for major retail development. This development brought stores such as Meijer, Target, Wal-Mart, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Kohl's, as well as a movie theater.
About half of the two thousand acre Hamburg Place has now been developed. The development contains lavish green space and a horse cemetery that is home to some of the world’s greatest champions. Development at Hamburg Place is still a work in progress that looks to the future.
We thank you for taking the time to read about the history of Hamburg Place, and we hope that this history enhances your next experience at Hamburg Place.
