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Tag Archives: Renovation
Whats The Scoop On This Russell Rebuild?
Corner commercial building in Russell
Anyone know the story behind this corner commercial building on 20th and Madison Streets in the Russell neighborhood? After trying to find the scoop myself unsuccessfully, I figured one of you might know the answer. Tell us in the comments.
I found the building with a gaping hole in its side last year around the same time as the partial collapse at the Ouerbacker House a few blocks away. I assumed then that this was also a collapse and expected the building to be demolished. Upon checking back, the structure has been repaired, albeit not quite to its original architectural grandeur, but at least it’s still standing. Take a look at the original structure as captured on Google Maps below.
Corner commercial building in Russell
Corner commercial building in Russell (via Google Maps)
PrintScaffold Watch: Kentucky Opera Building Under Renovation
Kentucky Opera Building During Renovation
Long for sale on the corner of West Main Street and Eighth Street Downtown, the Kentucky Opera Building has found a buyer and is currently under renovation. Law firm Thompson, Miller & Simpson purchased the five-story building from Louis & Henry Group Architects this summer and plans to relocate to the building from 600 West Main Street when construction is complete in December.
Laura Cassaro of Thompson, Miller & Simpson says the firm will occupy the building’s top three floors. Louis & Henry will remain on the second floor and several new tenants will be added to the first floor including the Museum District Business Center, a copy service for Downtown businesses, two attorneys’ offices, and Video Court Reporting Services.
The structure is currently covered in scaffolding and undergoing tuck pointing to restore the building’s 1890 masonry facade as well as replace crumbling window sills. Work on the first floor is largely complete but construction continues on an enlarged lobby.
Bill Weyland of City Properties Group purchased the building in 1989 after it had fallen into disrepair. His firm restored the structure and converted it into an office building. In 2008, the Kentucky Opera Building was a candidate for a planned museum, genealogical library, and headquarters for the Sons of the American Revolution who eventually opted to purchase the nearby Fulton Conway Building on West Main Street.
Additional information can be found in a Business First report from July 2009.
Kentucky Opera Building Before Renovation
New Retail In The Heart Of The Highlands
Renovation projects nears completion on Bardstown Road
Two new retail spaces and three apartments will soon be ready on Bardstown Road. Business partners Mike Howard and Joseph Impellizzeri have nearly finished converting two dilapidated structures near Eastern Parkway after realizing the potential of vacant property in the heart of the Highlands. One tenant has already signed on and will be opening soon.
PizzAroma, located in the green structure on the right, has a long history in the pizza business. First opening in 1963 as the first pizza place in Owensboro, the family operated business has expanded. As the pizza pub grew, PizzAroma opened locations in Bowling Green and Hilton Head. In that time, Pizza Today magazine listed PizzAroma as one of the top 100 independent pizzerias in the nation.
Now, lifelong friends Blake Leucht and Jan Miller, both of Owensboro, hope to bring that tradition to Bardstown Road in the first weeks of September. PizzAroma will offer pizza-by-the-slice in addition to full pies, pasta, sandwiches, and wings. Leucht explains that all ingredients used at PizzAroma are as fresh as possible, including gourmet cheeses and custom-made sausage. The new eatery will offer a full bar open until 4:00 am and features an outdoor seating area and occasional live acoustic music.
Adjacent space directly north of PizzAroma hasn’t been leased yet, but Howard and Impellizzeri expect the space to be taken by a food operator. The team has been in negotiations with a sandwich shop as well as several other businesses, but nothing is yet official. As soon as next week, a new red-tinted concrete plaza will be poured in front of the building to serve as an outdoor seating area.
Three new one-bedroom apartments are also nearing completion. Besides being just a step off Louisville’s most lively intersection, the apartments will offer great views of the surrounding Highlands including St. James Church. Prices haven’t been officially set, but Mike Howard expects them to range somewhere from the upper $500s to upper $600s per month.
Mike Howard and Joe Impellizzeri have been friends for over a decade, but this venture represents their first steps into commercial development. Impellizzeri is a local attorney and Howard operates Rent 2 Own Louisville, offering lease options on single family homes predominantly in the Highlands and St. Matthews.
Howard and Impellizzeri expect an increase in people moving into the city. They say walkable neighborhoods with shopping and entertainment nearby coupled with increasing fuel costs will only steer more people into areas like the Bardstown Road corridor. The team also expects property values to continue to climb in the next five to ten years in an already booming area. Howard explains that the popularity of the Highlands is already spilling over into adjacent neighborhoods like Germantown.
The two plan to continue renovating structures along the Bardstown Road-Baxter Avenue corridor in the future and are currently looking at several properties in the area. They agree that Louisville’s hippest street only stands to grow stronger over time and both want to be part of that progress.
- Rent 2 Own Louisville (Official Site)
- Learning To Spead Bardstown Road’s Urban Language (Broken Sidewalk)
DuPont Commons Offers Luxury Apartments In Old Louisville
DuPont Commons at Brook and Oak Streets
Luxury apartment living is getting a boost in Old Louisville. The old DuPont Manual High School on the corner of Brook and Oak Streets is currently under construction to transform it into DuPont Commons and the first units will be occupied this week.
The 28-unit project offers townhomes and flats ranging in prices from $525 to $725 per month with amenities such as hardwood floors, 13′ tall trey ceilings, stainless steel appliances, and spiral stairs. Energy efficiency has been designed into each apartment. There are four unique floor plans to choose from. On the outside, the former school house features intricate carvings and a grand arched main entrance.
Dustin Hensley of the Lee Hensley Company explains that, soon, new landscaping and outdoor lighting will be installed and eventually a dog park will be created in the park behind the building through a partnership with the developer and Metro Parks. Hensley, an Old Louisville resident himself, believes DuPont Commons will offer the nicest apartment living in Old Louisville.
Eight top-floor apartments will be ready to go September 1 and subsequent apartments will be placed on the market when they are ready. The entire project is expected to be complete in less than three months. Hensley hopes to attract young, creative tenants who can help with the continued revitalization of the Oak Street Corridor.
The Lee Hensley Company hopes to have an increased presence in Old Louisville in the coming years. They have already renovated and fully leased a once-dilapidated house on the corner of First Street and Kentucky Street and are working with another client to convert a stone mansion on Third Street into apartments than can be converted into condos when the market improves.
In the future, Hensley says he hopes to tackle the Oak Street retail corridor to provide a more lively center for Old Louisville. He is currently working on a proposal that will blend the historic charm of Old Louisville with more modern convenience and technology that will be announced next year.
- DuPont Commons (Official Site)
- Renovation Watch: Kentucky Street House Rehabbed (Broken Sidewalk)
Planting Seeds Of Growth In Shelby Park
Corner building in Shelby Park during construction
An historic mixed-use commercial building has been fully renovated in the Shelby Park neighborhood. Oak Seed, Inc., a local company dedicated to restoration of buildings in Old Louisville and along the Oak Street corridor, has transformed a former ten-room boarding house at Jackson and Oak Streets into five apartments.
Last November, a fire later deemed arson tore through the building, leaving it in a state of severe disrepair. Jeff Blanchard, a partner in Oak Seed, Inc., tells us that the building has been completely gutted and restored and the group is awaiting final inspections. Two of the units are already rented.
The corner building was once a small grocery store with living space above. Jeff says the new layout is adaptable to bringing in commercial space again to the ground floor once a zoning change is achieved, which could mean the building could go mixed-use next year. Blanchard is optimistic about the building and the neighborhood:
“We believe this is a great improvement for the neighborhood, in line with the kind of rehabilitation we like to do, and will hopefully reanchor this corner building as a modern, efficient and functional complex.”
We had a chance to tour the construction site in May where we snapped a few photos. It’s hard to imagine the building carved up into ten tiny units, but now the spaces are more in line with what the neighborhood needs. Oak Seed, Inc. hopes to bolster communities without displacing residents that are “integral to the neighborhood character.” It’s great to see a corner building that very easily could have been torn down put back to productive use.
- Oak Seed, Inc. (Official Site)
Retail Watch: New Albany Preparing Another Downtown Bar
New Bar in New Albany to occupy two store fronts
Another boarded up building on New Albany’s Main Street are set to become a new bar. Construction was underway today on two adjacent buildings between Bank Street and Pearl Street and people around told us about the bar. Details were sparse, though, so that’s pretty much all we know. Anyone have the scoop on what the bar is called or when it might open?
Inside, three openings had been cut in the brick party wall to connect to two spaces, and it appears each building has its own structural wall. Check out how thick the brick is in the photo below. It also appears a suspended acoustical ceiling has recently been removed as well from the hanging light fixtures, and the original tin ceiling has been exposed. Quite an improvement if you ask us. Hopefully, in time, the upper two floors of the structures will lose the boarded windows and become something creative.
Interior renovations for a future bar
West Oak Street Corridor To See New Life
Rendering of possible future development (courtesy Lee Jones)
An old commercial building near the corner of Seventh & Oak Streets is about to see new life with the help of a $40,000 low-interest METCO loan from Louisville Metro Government. Plans call for installing new windows, tuck-pointing the two-story brick building, installing a new wrought iron fence around the corner parking lot, landscaping, and a fresh coat of paint.
Lee Jones, owner of Oak Street Hardware currently on the corner of Second and Oak had originally planned to move his business to the new location, but is considering leasing the space for retail use. He still likes the convenience of his current location and doesn’t want to abandon his regular walk-in traffic. Plans are still evolving, though. Jones explained that the building is in an odd site: it’s neither Old Louisville nor Limerick. Instead, it sits in a small pocket with several other commercial buildings that Jones refers to as the West Oak Street Corridor.
The building targeted for redevelopment, 617 Oak Street, is a sturdy brick building but in need of repair. A coat of plaster was applied to the front facade, and Jones is currently determining whether to completely remove it and restore the brick. An original cornice has begun to separate from the building and will be completely restored. Jones says he will likely paint the restored building in a similar color palette as the Oak Street Hardware building: muted red, green, and yellow.
There is other development activity in the area as well. On the same block, the Stuart Apartments were recently renovated along with nearby Sixth & Oak building. One block to the north, Shine Properties has been renovating another commercial building. Whether Oak Street Hardware relocates or a new retail spot is created, hopefully this project will help tip the area into the western anchor of the Oak Street commercial district. There is no current timetable on the project, but Jones hopes to get started soon after the loan is finalized.
Property to be redeveloped at 7th & Oak Streets
- Limerick Seeing Rebirth One Building At A Time (Broken Sidewalk)
Bed & Breakfast Looks To Clean Up First Street
Austin's Inn Place
Austin’s Inn Place, a bed & breakfast located on First Street near Breckinridge Street, hopes to see the area flourish again. Located in SoBro on the border with Old Louisville, Austin’s occupies two Victorian houses dating to the 1880s. The Inn began operating during Derby 2005 with 8 guest rooms able to serve 16 guests. Proprietor’s and realtor’s Mary & Tom Austin purchased the houses in 2004 at auction. They saw the properties as an investment and a way to contribute to the redevelopment of Downtown and Old Louisville. Since then, they have been looking to push their success farther down First Street.
The area surrounding the Inn needs work, but is showing promising signs of improvement. Two houses immediately south of Austin’s Inn Place have been in desperate need of renovation. Another grand mansion once stood on a vacant parcel serving as access to the Austin’s landscaped courtyard. The house burned years ago due to neglect. A failed hotel and parking lot across the street will be home to the recently announced Downtown Scholar House. New townhomes will soon be built facing Austin’s Inn Place on First Street.
The two rooming houses to the south could one day be restored back to single family houses, or possibly condos, if the Austin’s can find investors interested in the project. They already purchased one foreclosed rooming house and have placed offers on the other. These structures have 11 or 12 rooms each, only some rooms have bathrooms and kitchens. They are in disrepair and have been a source of crime in the past.
Each house contains about 3,800 square feet and would make an enormous urban single family dwelling. Tom and Mary Austin would like to return the structures to single family use, but wonder if its practical to spend so much money on a house that needs so much work. They see smaller Downtown condos sell for very high rates, but don’t expect the houses to perform the same. Instead they are looking for creative solutions for the properties and are hoping to work with investors to create a new vibrant First Street.
Besides single family housing, the Austin’s have considered condos and extended stay units with an interior courtyard and carriage houses. There are zoning restrictions in place, though, that could make it difficult for any conversion other than single family use. Whatever option is found to be the most viable in the end, we hope the Austin’s find the right partner to create the rejuvenated neighborhood they envision.
- Austin’s Inn Place (Official Site)
Buildings targeted for redevelopment
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