History of Riverview at Hobson Grove

Riverview, the name given to the Italianate home of Atwood and Juliet "Julia" VanMeter Hobson, was so named because of its proximity to the Barren River. Construction of the hilltop home began in the late 1850s, but was temporarily halted by the Civil War. The partially completed home became a munitions magazine while the Confederates held Bowling Green during the winter of 1861-62. Riverview was finally completed in 1872.

 

The Hobson family lived at Riverview until 1952, when the property was dispersed. An auction held about the same time dispensed most of the original furnishings not kept by the family. At least five more families rented the grand old house.

 

Following several fires, the structure was abandoned and condemned, and in 1965 the city of Bowling Green acquired the property for a golf course. The City paid one dollar for the house, which was slated for demolition.

 

The following year the Hobson House Association, a non-profit organization, was created to restore the house and operate it as a museum. Riverview, opened to the public in 1972, is interpreted to the 1860-1890 time period, and is an official site of the Civil War Discovery Trail. The structure and its furnishings represent those of a prosperous Victorian family living in south central Kentucky.

 

Riverview is also a classic example of Italianate architecture and is considered one of the finest examples in Kentucky. Riverview includes three distinct features which classify it as Italianate: rounded arches at the top of all exterior windows, deep eaves around the roof line with ornamental brackets, and the cupola on the top of the house.