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Tag Archives: Louisville Weirdness

Below are listed the articles tagged Louisville Weirdness

Slugger Field

Tuesday, May 11, 2010 by Branden Klayko.


Slugger Field before baseball (BS File Postcard)

Slugger Field before baseball (BS File Postcard)




Okay, we all know how great Slugger Field is.  Just take it from USA Today who ranked the ballpark as one of the top ten places to watch minor league baseball.  Although by now it’s old news, here’s what Metro Lou was pushing back in April:


““Built on the banks of the Ohio River, this home to the Triple-A Louisville Bats is fronted by a restored 19th-century rail depot that serves as its main entrance and incorporates shops and restaurants,” the article said. “Depending on where you sit, you can glimpse the downtown skyline or the cantilevered bridge that spans the river to Indiana. Perks include a children’s play area in right field and a continuous concourse that surrounds the field.”

“Baseball writer Graham Knight selected the nation’s best minor league ballparks, from 200 nationwide, to highlight in his “10 great places for a baseball pilgrimage.” Others making the list include Coca Cola Field in Buffalo and Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio.”


But did you know Slugger Field was once a mecca for the potato industry?  Just check out all those rail cars full of potatoes headed to Slugger Field one hundred years ago.  The catch line on the postcard reads, “Potato shipping, a leading industry in Louisville, Ky.”


That view was taken from where Interstate 65 sits today looking west towards Downtown.  There once was a substantial rail yard there as evidenced by the oblique alignment of Hancock Street today as it makes its way into Butchertown.


And if you didn’t know, back then, we grew large potatoes in Louisville.  And who said the Victorians didn’t have a sense of humor?




Louisville grows large potatoes (BS File Postcard)

Louisville grows large potatoes (BS File Postcard)


When Louisville, NE Trumps Louisville, KY

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 by Branden Klayko.
Screen capture from Google Maps

Screen capture from Google Maps



So I would suppose most people know that there’s a wide array of towns bearing the name Louisville out there.  Wikipedia says there’s a Louisville not just in Kentucky but also in Alabama, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, and Minnesota.  There’s even a Louisville in Tasmania, Australia and in Belize (not to mention an underwater mountain chain).  Seems like we have a pretty good franchise going on.


Our own beloved Louisville, however, is the only “big city” in the selection where the population range stretches from 209 souls to almost 19,000.  Why, then, doesn’t Louisville show up first in a Google map search?  It’s a minor complaint, I suppose, but imagine someone unfamiliar with our city unwittingly thinking our town is some rural enclave?


The problem arises when you type in a search like “Main Street Louisville.”  Go ahead and try it (or follow this link).  Turns out that “Main Street Louisville” is in rural Alabama, population 612.  Sure, you could tack on “KY” at the end of the search, but should that really be necessary?


And it’s not foolproof.  Sometimes, a similar search for First Street or Shelby Street will land you in good old Louisville, KY, but the former shows a trailer park off Preston Highway outside the Snyder and the latter takes you to a subdivision in Fern Creek.


It’s endearing to think that Louisville is a little off the national radar, but this seems a tiny bit absurd.  Anyone else encountered this issue?  Do you find it annoying or should it just be ignored?


Louisville, NE does have one edge on our fair city, however; it has a higher population density at 2,038 people per square mile compared to our county rate of 1,866 per square mile.


Click through for a few more examples.

Kool Aid Guy Wreaks Havoc At Presbyterian Seminary

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 by Branden Klayko.

A tipster wrote in this morning to report about some breaking news on Alta Vista Road off Lexington Road and now we need your help to verify the destruction.  Apparently, the Kool Aid guy has had a little trouble with a brick wall.  From our tipster:


“The Presbyterian Seminary on Alta Vista has a brick screen wall along the road.  A rather large portion of the wall has fallen or been knock down.  It has been like that for a month or two with yellow caution tape around it.  This morning I noticed that someone has positioned a large, seemingly hand-made, stuffed Kool-Aid guy atop the broken portion of wall with a big sign that says “Oh Yeah!”"


Now I hope it’s obvious a photo is required to illustrate this event.  Anyone going to be in the area today?  Send in a photo and I’ll post it here.  It doesn’t have to be fancy, a cell phone pic will do.  Send your photos, reports of other Kool Aid guy sitings, or anything else interesting to tips@brokensidewalk.com.  This must be preserved for posterity.

Strange Columns: Of Street Lamps And Bird Baths

Friday, November 6, 2009 by Branden Klayko.
Strange Columns on Fourth Street

Strange Columns on Fourth Street



Louisville is no stranger to the weird side of life.  That’s certainly the case with two sets of columns spotted on Fourth Street and Frankfort Avenue.  It seems that Louisville has invented two new orders of architecture that incorporate street light and bird bath inspirations.


The first example seen above is at 640 Fourth Street between Chestnut and Broadway.  Some time ago, the original storefront was removed and a modern one installed set back from the building facade.  Well, something had to hold the building up, and plain steel posts apparently just wouldn’t do.  The solution?  Add a couple decorative street lamp bases and call it a day.  What makes this example glaringly obvious is the presence of a street light with a nearly identical base sitting adjacent to the facade.



Strange Columns on Fourth Street

Strange Columns on Fourth Street


It gets even sillier heading down Frankfort Avenue.  An old Victorian house now features two columns half comprised of bird bath bases.  The photo below shows three columns on the house’s front porch, two of which feature the latest innovation in architectural columnity (calamity?) holding up the front stoop.  All of the columns are replacement columns, and apparently two needed a little extra support.


In classical architecture, the column is a work of art unto itself.  A column is divided into three parts, the base, the shaft, and the capital, each taking into account the proportional system of the structure.  Each of these segments can then be divided into component segments and detailed almost to no end.  While these buildings never were intended to follow the main orders of architecture (think of the intricate columns on City Hall or its annex), the original structures are influenced by classical design principles.  These principles have been largely forgotten or at least watered down today and I would venture few people in the city could point out, design, or even care about true column design.


So what do you think of Louisville’s architectural innovations?  Does it represent the latest trend in weird architecture or does it lack column sense?  Are they examples of fine creativity or a little bit columnsy?


Strange Columns on Frankfort Avenue

Strange Columns on Frankfort Avenue


Strange Sighting: Emu On Bardstown Road

Tuesday, September 1, 2009 by Branden Klayko.

btown_rd_emu_01


Spotted on the corner of Bardstown Road and Eastern Parkway: an emu?  Or is it perhaps an ostrich?  Either way, what’s up?  Animals, it seems, are nothing new to Louisville’s most well known road.  The painted concrete deer statuary in Deer Park add a touch of whimsy and we thought it was amusing when llamas were loosed on the Highlands, one making it almost to Bardstown Road last July, and then thousands of zombies took over last weekend.


But now it seems more exotic fauna is taking over Louisville.  This time it’s just a wooden cutout, but but is it a sign of things to come?  Anyone know the story behind this large, flightless bird?  Are there other animals prowling around the Highlands as well?


Emoticon House And A Historic Relative

Tuesday, September 1, 2009 by Branden Klayko.


Emoticon House & Historical Comparison

Emoticon House & Historical Comparison




Back in July, we pointed out Shelby Park’s “Emoticon House” covered in a modern facade that simplified the house into a simple typable shape (“<=|”).  Now we bring you another house built with the same general facade layout in the Original Highlands.  We found the photo in our archives and noticed how both homes feature the same general facade layout: one with its original siding and “gingerbread” detailing, the other covered in vertical aluminum siding.


We’re not suggesting that the Shelby Park house was once identical to the Original Highlands house, but it probably featured many similar details.  Both undoubtedly featured a large first-floor picture window, probably with a stained glass transom and the right-hand tower element above the door clearly once had windows as well.  As for the level of detail the Emoticon House once featured, it’s hard to say without the help of a historical photo.  At any rate, it’s an interesting comparison.


Fourth Street Furniture Re-Arranged

Tuesday, August 25, 2009 by Branden Klayko.
Missing artsy bike rack on Fourth Street

Missing artsy bike rack on Fourth Street



One block of Fourth Street between Main and Market Streets is looking a little different.  One piece of street furniture is missing and a new piece was added a little down the street.  Both are quite a mystery to me, but I’m guessing some of you Broken Sidewalkers know the inside story.


First, a curvy wooden art-bike-rack installed in April is nowhere to be seen.  It’s even hard to see the holes in the sidewalk where it was attached to the ground.  The photo above at Main Street shows where it used to be.  Where did it go?


Next, near the corner of Market and Fourth, a new metal placard revealing the scientific secrets of Pangaea and the geologic history of the earth has been mounted on a strangely historic looking pole.  The new sign looks great and I think should be a regular presence across Downtown, but where did it come from?  It’s really well done, but who did it?


Any and all information on the street furniture changes in the comments if you will.




New educational sign explaining geology on Fourth Street

New educational sign explaining geology on Fourth Street

Building Stares Blankly On Logan Street

Thursday, July 23, 2009 by Branden Klayko.


Building on Logan Street sports a blank stare

Building on Logan Street sports a blank stare




This structure on Logan Street seems to be staring off forlornly with a look of blank astonishment.  When I stumbled across it a while ago, I nearly broke out laughing at how a structure that was undoubtedly once a proud house has been reduced to a state of dumb awe.  All done with a few replacement windows and some vertical aluminum siding.


What were they thinking?  For some strange reason, the house is captivating.  Perhaps it’s the complete transformation of a once elegant abode into something completely and utterly offensive to good taste.  Then again, the transformation is so complete that it takes on the quality of some bizarre piece of art.  It seems only appropriate that the car in front is sitting with a completely flat tire.


There’s nothing to report about this house.  The image is enough.  Maybe we could take the opportunity for a quick caption contest.  Prize?  That satisfied sensation of accomplishing something witty.  Post your caption ideas in the comments.

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