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Museum Plaza Watch: ‘Trust Us, This Thing’s Getting Built’
Museum Plaza Drawings Ready To Go (photo by Museum Plaza)
Craig Greenberg went before Metro Council today to answer the tough questions about the state of the Museum Plaza development. We didn’t have a chance to sit in on the Q & A but did read over a letter Greenberg sent to Metro Council about the project. The gist of the meeting probably goes something like, “Financial meltdown. We’re doing our best. We’re ready to go. Economic crisis. We’re going to get this thing built. Credit crunch.” More realistically, Craig is trying to reassure Metro Council that matters are under control and the project will move forward as the economy improves.
Life’s not easy for a mega-project in these trying economic times. That giant spire that Santiago Calatrava designed in Chicago is just a hole in the ground and going nowhere fast, Dubai is in meltdown mode, and even the new World Trade Center is being held up every other day or so. Louisville is not unique by having a delayed mega-project. What is unique are a group of developers so dedicated to the city. And with $47 million already invested in the project so far, including $1.2 million to purchase property not owned by the city and about $14 million more to bury some power lines, the group can’t just walk away from an already substantial development.
So far, 20 permits and approvals to get started have already been acquired for the project, the Westin hotel franchise is still ready to go, and the developers are good for the money. They were even forced to bear all in a confidential letter demonstrating “Evidence of Net Worth” and their ability to personally meet the financial obligations. Greenberg reassures the Council as well that no city funds have been used so far in the project, and won’t until a complete financing package has been obtained.
And so far, the plans and design for the building haven’t changed. Greenberg’s letter to Metro Council explains that “the architectural and construction documents for Museum Plaza are to build a building and infrastructure that is the same as has been shown in renderings… over the past two years.” And the construction documents are done. Waiting. Sitting in a back office somewhere biding their time until financing rolls in. That’s them in the photo above.
Despite a barrage of concerns and worries from Metro Council, the developers are still showing no sign of breaking. While an anxious public keeps fingers crossed or pointing fingers poised, the pressure must be great for the four who have already put so much at stake. Here’s the optimism Greenberg and the rest of the development group still maintain for Museum Plaza:
“Laura Lee Brown, Steve Wilson, Steve Poe, myself and the entire Museum Plaza development team remain as committed as ever to building this important community project. It is too important not to build. Museum Plaza will not only energize and improve West Main Street, Downtown Louisville, and our entire community, but serve as a symbol of our community and state’s ability to rebound from these challenging times stronger than ever.
“Museum Plaza will be under construction within 30 days of closing our financing, building $150 million of infrastructure and having an economic impact of over $1 billion during our construction period. Over 4,500 different people will help build Museum Plaza, earning prevailing wages. Over 600 people will work on the site every day during its peak construction period. And, over 1,500 people will have permanent good jobs in the building upon its completion. Museum Plaza will quickly and forcefully stimulate Kentucky’s economy, while improving it and its image in the process.”
- Museum Plaza (Official Site)
- More Museum Plaza coverage from Broken Sidewalk
PrintMetro Council’s Fear Of Museum Plaza Unfounded, Lawyer Says
Museum Plaza construction site covered in snow
Several million dollars of construction liens filed against Museum Plaza by contractors caused a panic among some Metro Council members last week as they worried public land on the construction site could be jeopardized. Council members Hal Heiner and Jim King asked for a legal opinion on the issue and demanded a report on the future viability of the Museum Plaza project, calling into question the developers’ business practices. Today, the Jefferson County Attorney’s office released a statement putting Heiner’s and King’s fears to rest: city land won’t we taken and the developers must assume full responsibility for the liens.
Attorney Craig Greenberg, partner in the Museum Plaza development, wasn’t all too pleased, however, that the issue was brought up at all: ”It’s unfortunate that Councilman Heiner continues to put roadblocks in the way of progress and job creation… There are enough challenges today outside of our control and community to get this project under way.” The team reassured the public, again, that they will be moving forward with Museum Plaza when the credit markets improve. Meanwhile, the power lines the developers paid to have burried should be completely switched over in the next month or so and two large electrical towers will come down. Crews already removed the riverfront dinosaur for just such an occasion.
Art Car Friday: Museum of Art & Craft Edition
Art Car Friday
This week’s art car was spotted outside the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. It appears to be the official mini van of the museum and is a regular at the annual Kentucky Art Car Weekend in August hosted by the museum. The van demonstrates the “more is more” philosophy of art cars and can be categorized in the “glue as much on the car as possible” group.
Don’t forget to send in your sightings of art cars (or just about anything else) to tips@brokensidewalk.com.
- Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft (Official Site)
Art Car Friday
Sons of the American Revolution Raising Funds
Inside the SAR Museum
The Sons of the American Revolution are planning to convert the old Fulton Conway Building on West Main Street near Eighth Street into their Center For Advancing American Heritage which will include the national headquarters for the organization, a museum, and extensive genealogical library.
We recently sat down with Joe Harris, executive director of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution at their current 4th & Kentucky Street location to discuss the project. He explained the group is still in the midst of a capital campaign for the new downtown facility and needs to raise $5 million more in donations before construction can start. They already have raised $3 million; about half of that was used to purchase the Fulton-Conway Building. The SAR intends to pay for the entire project with cash.
The SAR also has put its significant land holdings in Old Louisville / SoBro up for sale. The organization will use the sale proceeds to fund an endowment to keep the downtown project’s operations funded. The 1.6 acre lot on the corner of Sixth Street and Kentucky Street is listed at $1.5 million, but the organization is prepared to wait as long as necessary to sell the property.
Its limestone headquarters will eventually be put on the market after the new building is finished, and ideally, the SAR would like to sell the properties together. (A Salvation Army property on Kentucky is also for sale, so a lot of land could be assembled in the area for a massive project.) The grassy lot once was filled with houses, but over the years they were abandoned and town down. It was once also the planned location of the museum.
One hope in the entire endeavor is for the Sons of the American Revolution to become a more prominent community player. Harris regrets that few people in Louisville know the headquarters of a national organization with research and museum resources is available to the community. Part of the decision to move downtown was to become more visible and enhance the current offerings of the West Main Museum District. In doing so, marketing will become a larger priority for the organization.
The genealogy library already attracts people from all over the country and serves as the regional ‘hub’ for genealogical research, but with the addition of the Center for Advancing America’s Heritage, the group will offer educational outreach to schools and the public at large. Only two years ago, a formal position was created to foster the education outreach components of the organization.
Some of the features of the new facility will include “revolutionary time walk” covering important events between 1775 & 1783 as well as classroom space for early American history lessons and outreach programs about U.S. rights. The SAR already participates in citizenship ceremonies for recent immigrants.
With its larger presence in the community, the SAR is hoping the community will also help support the downtown redevelopment plans. Currently, donations mainly come from SAR members and library visitors, but the group hopes the community can step up and contribute to the project as well.
The SAR’s Old Louisville location has been open to the public since it moved there in 1979 to be closer to the country’s population center. Their museum is free and full of important artifacts in American history and the research library is available for $5 for non-members. Hopefully the community will step up and contribute to the success of the new downtown project as it will serve everyone, not just organization members.
We’ve included new, updated renderings of the project designed by local firm Architection on Market Street available just after the click.
SAR Main Street Project Renderings
- National Society of the Sons of The American Revolution (Official Site)
- American Revolution Headed For Main Street (Broken Sidewalk)
Current museum artifacts and updated renderings after the click.
Snapshot: Louisville Science Center Moving Debris
Inside the Alexander Building
This week, the Louisville Science Center began gutting the ground level of the Alexander Building directly to its west. The museum purchased the four-story limestone and brick building for $2 million last year and plans classrooms and laboratories for science education. You can see a few interior walls have been removed allowing views to the back of the building and the carpet and ceilings have been stripped. The project should be complete sometime next spring.
- Louisville Science Center Expands (Broken Sidewalk)
Alexander Building & Louisville Science Center
American Revolution Headed For Main Street
Sons of the American Revolution, New Headquarters (Rendering by Preston Associates Architects)
The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution will be moving their national headquarters from Old Louisville to the Museum District of West Main Street downtown. The organization will also be building a history museum and genealogical library dubbed The Center for Advancing America’s Heritage at their new facility near the corner of Main Street and 8th Street.
The SAR is currently located at the corner of Fourth Street and Kentucky Street in Old Louisville and owns a good amount of property on adjacent blocks there that a previous museum and headquarters was proposed for years ago. The organization began looking downtown for expansion to be part of the cultural center of West Main Street and initially proposed to purchase the six-story, red-brick Kentucky Opera Building on the south-east corner of 8th Street and Main Street. Early this year, the search expanded across the street to the 1860s-era Fulton Conway Building that offered better amenities for the overall project including on-site parking and archival space in the basement. The asking price was also cheaper at under $2 million, allowing for quicker commencement of construction. The new location and design adjacent to the Frasier Historical Museum looks much better for everyone involved and should compliment the assortment of cultural establishments already in the area.
The new National Headquarters design calls for an atrium off the sidewalk that will connect with a genealogical research library representing over 60,000 volumes, offices, classrooms, and a history museum including many original paintings, flags, manuscripts, canons, and a replica of the Liberty Bell. A roof terrace will feature outdoor sitting and statuary space along with views of the Ohio River. The building covers over 40,000 square feet and three floors, so this should be a sizable undertaking. The architectural design for the new facility was done by Preston Associates Architects of Louisville. Here’s some history on the Sons of the American Revolution:
“The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is a patriotic organization formed in 1889 and chartered by the United States Congress in 1906. SAR has more than 27,000 members living in all of the 50 states and 23 foreign countries.”
“The SAR National Headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, is more properly a historic shrine honoring our Patriot Ancestors. It is a museum of art and artifacts from the colonial and revolutionary periods, and a genealogical library. The museum includes an extensive collection of historical American paintings and an exact replica of the Liberty Bell.”
Construction on the project should begin when a fundraising campaign currently underway raises $6 million. Historic tax credits are also currently being sought to help pay for the project. After the new museum and headquarters is finished, the old location will be sold and funds added to an endowment for the organization. With the fundraising well under way, hopefully we might see activity at the site sometime next year. Already, banners, logos, and renderings announcing the project have been posted on the Fulton Conway Building.
Overall, this will be a great project to anchor the Museum District and build a cultural critical mass unrivaled in the state or in many places throughout the country. An interesting note about the Fulton Conway Building: the structure is noticeably shorter than its neighbors, but appears aesthetically similar to the turreted Fort Nelson Building next-door. In fact, the structure was once four-stories and similar in height to other Main Street buildings. The great tornado of 1890 (a monument for the tornado stands on the corner of the block) ripped through Main Street and collapsed the upper floors which were never rebuilt. At least we still have the original cast-iron facade along the sidewalk.
Fulton Conway Building, Main Street
- National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (Official Site)
Back to Work at the Heritage Center
African American Heritage Center
After a series of budget shortfalls, slumping funds, and an audit of sloppy accounting halting the project in 2006, the African American Heritage Center is back under construction at the corner of 18th Street and Muhammad Ali. The politicians have come and gone to mark the resumption of work, construction bids arrived under bedget, and $5.5 million in federal funds are stirring up the dust at the site as construction crews get back to work.
- Kentucky Center for African American Heritage (Official Site)
- Resumption of work on heritage center noted (C-J)
- Bid to work on black heritage center is under budget (C-J)
- Construction resumes on black heritage center (C-J)
- State pledges $5.5 million to restart Kentucky Center for African-American Heritage (Business First)
Louisville Science Center Expands
Louisville Science Center Expansion
The Louisville Science Center has begun expanding into the Alexander Building it bought last year for $2 million at the corner of West Main Street and Eighth Street, next door to its current facility. The expansion will cost about $1 million and will house a 5,200 square foot science education center with modern laboratories. Construction will last until next spring and the space will serve school field trips and after school programs. The first phase now under construction will occupy the first floor of the building and the Center will continue to expand into four upper floors over the next decade.
- Science Center Begins Expansion (WFPL News)
- Science Center begins expansion (C-J)
- Louisville Science Center (Official Site)
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