This brick structure was originally built in 1917 as a tobacco prizing house. Situated near the Licking River in Cynthiana, Kentucky, this building has also been a roller skating rink, factory and storage space throughout the years...before being restored into this unique event space.

​

What is a Prizing House?

A prizing house was traditionally a large space or warehouse where tobacco was "prized."  

 

The process of "prizing" tobacco occurred after the tobacco is cured. Then, it is moved from the curing barn into a storage area for processing. If whole plants were cut, the leaves are removed from the tobacco stalks in a process called stripping. For both cut and pulled tobacco, the leaves are then sorted into different grades. In earlier days, the tobacco "hands" were then prized into "hogsheads" for transportation. The hogsheads were regulated in size and structure to a standard, in order for the whole mass of prized tobacco to be readily seen and examined. The method of packing is to first place the tobacco hands or "ties" into a double row across the center of the hogshead, with the leaves of each row interlocking, so that the butt ends of the hands are outwards. Other rows are laid down in a similar manner, with smaller tobacco hands being employed for filling up crevices in order to make the layer even. The layers are alternately placed at right angles to each other until a certain height is reached, then pressure is applied to squeeze the whole tightly together.

 

Today, most cured tobacco is baled before sales are made under pre-sold contracts. Today, as an event space, The Prizing House still retains much of the old world charm from its days in the tobacco industry, featuring warm brick walls, exposed wooden 
beams and traditional hardwood floors.