Henry Clay built this small one-story brick building as his law office in 1803, on Mill Street near his wife's family residence. Imagine the young lawyer who arrived in Lexington in November 1797, after preparing for the bar by working with Virginia Attorney General Robert Brooke and studying under George Wythe at the College of William and Mary. Admitted to the bar in 1797, Clay established his practice and by 1803 had this compact space — just 20 by 22 feet — in which he worked while serving in the Kentucky Legislature and in the United States Senate.
From 1803 to 1810 this was his professional base, one of the few professional buildings still standing from that time. In 1830 the little office was incorporated into a larger building and its original roof was removed, and over a century later the State of Kentucky purchased the structure in 1969 and oversaw restoration completed in 1971. Today the law office is owned by the First Presbyterian Church.
Step close enough to feel how small 20 by 22 feet really is, then follow the modest brickwork across to the church that now cares for this place.