Constructed by Charles Bland on the crest of a hill on his wooded farm, the earliest portions of the Blandwood were completed in 1795. The simple two-story farmhouse was later purchased by Governor Morehead, and subsequently expanded according to plans drawn by nationally renowned architect Alexander Jackson Davis of New York. Davis designed additions in the Italianate style villa that featured a central tower, stucco walls, and symmetrical flanking dependencies. Completed in 1846, it is considered the oldest standing example of Italianate architecture in the United States.