Preservation Louisville Announces Metro’s 2010
Top 10 Most Endangered Historic Places & Top 10 Preservation Successes
A “most endangered” list is a preservation tool for recognizing sites with historic, cultural or archaeological significance that are directly threatened or in immediate danger of being lost. The “Endangered Properties” list has a long history in Louisville. It was initially created by Preservation Alliance, and in 1999 the list was taken over by The Louisville Historic League. The list is now compiled and published by Preservation Louisville, Inc., Louisville’s citywide preservation organization since 2007. This year along with the list of “Louisville’s Top 10 Endangered Historic Places” list, Preservation Louisville will also announce “Louisville’s Top 10 Preservation Successes”. The lists were announced during a 10:30 a.m. press conference in front of one of Louisville’s Whiskey Row buildings - Patrick O'Sheas Restaurant, a recipient of a 2010 Preservation Success award.
Preservation Louisville, Inc. is a citywide, non-profit preservation organization that works in partnership with local, state and national organizations to promote preservation of Louisville’s historic resources through education and advocacy.
Properties named to 2010 Louisville’s Top 10 Most Endangered Historic Places & Top 10 Preservation Successes are:
Louisville’s 2010 Top 10 Most Endangered Historic Places List
(Click any picture for a larger version)
1. Iron Quarter buildings on Whiskey Row (105-119 W. Main St.)
This area originally called “Whiskey Row” was named this because of the buildings Cast Iron facades and the many whiskey businesses that began there. The historic Whiskey Row Block, at 101-133 West Main St., is a row of attached buildings built approximately between 1852 and 1905. Architects include Henry Whitestone, John Andrewartha (City Hall) and D. X. Murphy (Churchill Downs). Many were built and used by pork dealers and whiskey companies. The L& N Railroad Co. and Belknap Hardware Co. also had headquarters in the buildings. These properties located on the north side of the 100 block of East Main Street are in varying levels of deterioration.
2. Historic Properties within the Proposed Bridge Route
Listed in 1999: Since the announcement that a major overhaul of the interstate and bridge transportation system, all of the historic properties within the proposed routes were placed on this list. The League continues to monitor this process and attend hearings where necessary to assist in protecting these structures. This entry will remain on the list until a final proposal has been determined and all of the buildings fate has been resolved.
3. Victorian House on Frankfort Ave.
Listed in 2005: 2225 Frankfort Avenue, adjacent to Ginny’s Diner, in the Clifton neighborhood. In 2000, this house was in decent, livable condition. But, by 2004, the owner had allowed it to greatly deteriorate and has attempted to demolish it. It currently is for sale by calling 797-8770. The Clifton neighborhood has vigorously opposed its destruction and views it as a significant part of the historic Frankfort Avenue commercial corridor.
4. Shotgun Houses
Louisville has the 2nd largest inventory of shotgun houses and they make up 10% of Louisville’s building stock. These houses are found in many of Louisville’s neighborhoods such as, Portland, Germantown, Butchertown, Russell and California. Shotgun houses are among the most common late 19th century and early 20th century house types in the urban South. The majority of local examples were built between the end of the Civil War and 1910. Oral tradition attributes the name “shotgun house” to their distinct floor plan.
5. Park Hill District
Listed in 2008: The Park Hill district (bounded by Algonquin Parkway to the south, 6th Street on the east, 15th Street on the west; and Broadway to the north) was once Louisville’s manufacturing and industrial heartland. Thousands of Louisvillians worked here and created products used by millions of Americans. Companies like: American Standard, Henry Vogt, and Mengel. Now this district lays dormant awaiting revitalization. In the interim though, beautiful substantial structures are being threatened with deterioration and demolition.
6. Colonial Gardens
In 1940 BA Watson purchased Senning’s Park for fifteen thousand dollars. He closed the zoo, remodeled the structure and renamed it Colonial Gardens Restaurant and Grill. During the 1940s, Colonial Gardens hosted big band entertainment and dancing. It took on the persona of an evening club that included a full service restaurant. This important piece of Louisville's history is currently in need of development.
7. Water Co. Block Historic Buildings
Listed in 2005: The Water Co. Block bounded by Second, Third and Liberty streets and Muhammad Ali Boulevard has 5 historic buildings that are endangered, the Falls City Theater building, Louisville Water Co. buildings, Odd Fellows Hall and Morrisey Garage. The Louisville Water Co. occupied the buildings at 435 S. 3rd Street from 1910-1998. Louisville Metro government now controls all of the land and feels the property is needed to expand the 4th Street Live entertainment complex. The land eventually will be leased to Baltimore-based Cordish Cos. for an expansion of the popular entertainment district.
8. Corner Store Fronts
Popular from the 1840’s-1950’s: Bright, airy and proud these corner stores brought the necessary goods to a neighborhood without the big shopping mall or strip centers. Early owner’s also lived on site, which provided an extra level of neighborhood pride. These properties were the “General Store” gone urban. The freedom of these buildings allowed the lack of a supporting parking lot- making them fit within the same lot patterns shared by surrounding, tightly packed, housing stock. As the urban landscape has changed our habits have changed with them, the result is we now have to drive further to get the things we once could find at the end of the block.
9. Ouerbacker House
Listed in 2005: the Samuel Ouerbacker House at 1735 West Jefferson in the Russell neighborhood is a beautiful landmark structure. Designed by noted local architect Arthur Loomis. The city of Louisville owned this property and in 2008 the city planned on demolishing the property. Concerned preservation organizations rallied to save the structure and an agreement was come to between the city and a new owner Scott Kramer of Studio K Architects. This property has been stabilized but until an adaptive reuse of the property can be funded it is still endangered.
10. Art Deco style Buildings
Art Deco architecture and its sister style Streamline Moderne are purely representative of 20th Century design. Both styles were rooted in the idea of creating a new design language for a new century as a way to separate from the elaborate architecture of the Victorian-era. Art Deco emerged during the Jazz Age of the 1920s and reflected the exuberance of the time. Characterized by verticality and stepped-back massing, Art Deco employed abstracted ornament in relief form to accentuate the style. Both styles are also identified by the use of modern materials of the time period including structural glass (Vitrolite and Cararra), extruded aluminum, and glazed terra cotta. Found on institutional, commercial, industrial, and residential buildings, elements of Art Deco and Streamline Moderne permeated Louisville’s built environment and represent the design aesthetics of the early- and mid-twentieth century.
Louisville’s 2010 Top 10 Preservation Success
1. Firehouse at Shelby & Main Streets
The historic firehouse located at 806 East Main Street was dedicated on November 9, 1893. It housed Steam Engine Company 3, which was comprised of seven men, three horses, and one La France horse-drawn engine on the lower two levels. The Preston Masonic Lodge occupied the third floor. Engine company #3 relocated in 1924 and the building went through a number of uses including a ballroom, chemical warehouse, and a photographer’s studio. The building was purchased in late 2006, at which time, the façade was restored to original style and condition, and a full restoration of the third floor was undertaken.
2. Patrick O’Shea’s
This site is part of the historic Whiskey Row Block, at 101-133 West Main St., Louisville, KY, an historic row of attached buildings built approximately between 1852 and 1905. Architects include Henry Whitestone, John Andrewartha (City Hall) and D. X. Murphy (Churchill Downs). Many were built and used by pork dealers and whiskey companies. The L& N Railroad Co. and Belknap Hardware Co. also had headquarters in the buildings. The new Patrick O'Shea's occupies a formerly vacant warehouse designed by John Andrewartha, who also designed Louisville City Hall and original grandstands and jockey clubhouse at Churchill Downs. The project contains over 10,000 square feet of restaurant, bar, and kitchen space, and shows what the Whiskey Row Historic District could become with the right vision and investment.
3. Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing: Chapel
In 2003, the congregation of Bethany United Methodist Church approached Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing to see if Riverside would be interested in moving the 1886 “Moremen Family Chapel” to its site. The congregation was in the process of selling its property to build a new sanctuary at another location—and they knew this significant community landmark would be demolished if it wasn’t moved. Many generations of the Moremen family (of the Farnsley-Moremen House) had been members of Bethany Church. The Moremen family actually donated the land upon which the church was built to the congregation. They also contributed significant funds toward its construction. Several of the beautiful art glass windows in the sanctuary are dedicated to Moremen family members.With grassroots support from throughout the community, Riverside was able to raise the necessary funds to save the chapel from the wrecking ball and move it to the 300-acre historic property on the Ohio River in March of 2006. This year, renovation work on the chapel will begin. In 2011, Riverside plans to reopen the chapel as a community gathering place for weddings and receptions, concerts and other community events.
4. Thomas Edison House
With a generous grant from an anonymous foundation, Thomas Edison House painstakingly restored the Edison Bedroom to its 1860s appearance. The original wood graining was re-created on the room’s doors, windows and mantel. Reproduction carpet and wallpaper from the period were added. The museum is now focusing on the exterior of the building and is in the process of establishing a preservation easement for the property.
5. Blind Pig Restaurant
The Blind Pig restaurant is located at 1076 E. Washington St., a two story brick building built in the 1870s, at the corner of E. Washington and Buchanan Street in Butchertown. Formerly a six unit residential complex, it was purchased by Andy Blieden in 2008 and subsequently underwent a full interior and exterior renovation prior to being occupied by the Blind Pig. Metro Louisville's Facade Load Program was utilized to renovate the exterior of the building. The most dramatic change was the removal of the non-original, non-contributing clapboard north facade. While preserving the historical integrity on the three remaining brick sides, the north facade provided an exciting opportunity to do something different. The proportions were kept historically accurate but the decision was made to use a different color brick, expose the structure, and use raw steel as a nod to some of the more industrial buildings in the area. The new front is meant to be 'of its time' and not a replication of the old structure. The result is a building that blends well with the diverse architectural fabric of Butchertown and has become a vibrant corner gathering place for the neighborhood.
6. African American Heritage Center: Trolley Barns
Work on the museum, located in former trolley barns at 18th Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard, began in 2003. Preservation and re-use of this unique and highly significant historic transportation and ethnic history site should be an important goal as Louisville enters the 21st century. The citizens have already recognized transportation-related structures and sites such as Union Station, the L&N headquarters, Louisville's iron railroad bridges, and even the Clifton trolley turn-around as important monuments in the city's transportation history. The Louisville Street Railway Company complex deserves to be honored along with these places as a vital piece of the railway network that was Louisville's lifeblood for many years.
7. Sons of the American Revolution: Fulton Conway Building
In 2008, the NSSAR purchased two historic buildings constructed in 1874 and originally referred to as the Fulton Conway Building. Hence began the fulfillment of a goal held by SAR members since 2001 to establish The Center for Advancing America’s Heritage. The Center will encompass the SAR’s historical, educational, and patriotic mission to foster and encourage through educational initiatives an appreciation for the founding of our country. In August the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution will open the doors to its new Genealogical Research Library in Louisville, Kentucky. A non-circulating institution, the Genealogical Research Library is located at 809 W. Main St. in Louisville’s vibrant Museum Row. Approximately 7,000 square feet of renovated space will offer library patrons a growing collection of over 58,000 resources.
8. GQ Unlimited: Sears, Roebuck & Co.
This building originally was the Sears, Roebuck & Co. building at 820 W. Broadway, erected in 1928-’29. The building sat vacant for 10 years before the current owners bought the property. The owners utilized Metro’s Façade Loan program and decided to keep the original look of the glass store front and they were also able to save the Terrazo floors on the interior. The building is used as a retail clothing store.
9. Howard Steamboat Museum
The first ever Capital Campaign attempted by the Clark County Historical Society/ Howard Steamboat Museum, Inc. was successfully concluded in Dec. 2009 with over $1,050,000. being raised. The initial million dollar goal was met with a challenge grant by the Paul Ogle foundation of $500,000.- If the Museum could raise $500,000. they would match it with $500,000. The funds will be used to address long needed preservation measures:
· Mansion improvements- fire suppression system and upgrade fire detection system; installation of climate control system; window restoration, etc
· Restoration and stabilization of the laundry house
· warehouse construction and/or offsite storage for artifacts
10. Locust Grove
Locust Grove, the 1790s historic Georgian mansion house of William Croghan and Lucy Clark Croghan, famous as the final home of Revolutionary General George Rogers Clark, has undergone a complete interior re-restoration over the past two years. Based on new research in paint analysis and new documentary findings, the early paint layers have been reproduced and the house shines with verdigris, glows with ochre and rose-colored paints, with period wallpaper in several rooms. Originally restored and furnished in the 1960s, this restoration includes a new look at room uses and furnishings, and how the Croghans’ extended household lived in the new nation. A significant feature of the restoration is the custom wallpaper reprinted for Locust Grove by Adelphi Wall Hangings: the French firm of Reveillon’s Arabesque design, found in the House and recreated as one of the most complex printing jobs ever undertaken by Adelphi.
All Photos credited to Becky Gorman, Kentucky Heritage Council (except for Riverside Chapel: photo credit - Jim Pullon).
2009 Top 10 Most Endangered Historic Places & Top 10 Preservation Successes