The old Louisville Chemical Building on the corner of Jefferson Street and Hancock Street hasn’t worked up any chemistry with developers since it went on the market some time ago. The property is listed at $950,000 and includes land adjacent to the three-story structure. The building is apparently in great condition and despite its foray with the Louisville Chemical Company—makers of janitorial supplies now located in an Rubbertown industrial complex—the site is not environmentally contaminated.
The brick structure dates to the 1890s and covers just under 16,000 square feet. The three-story portion of the building is L-shaped and the back portion of the first floor features large skylights. Upon entering the market, the property generated a flurry of interest but not enough to produce a sale, leaving a group of investors who own the building wondering if they should renovate the property themselves.
If the building does not sell, tentative plans for the property include upper floor office suites with ground floor retail. Considering the residential growth in the surrounding neighborhood, especially Liberty Green, the proposal sounds like a good one. The adjacent grassy lot would likely be converted to parking under this scenario. We feel the renovation of this property would add another strongly anchored corner in the East Village neighborhood and should work well with the mixed-use nature of the area.
This is one of my favorite old buildings in Louisville, and I ride by it on my bike nearly every weekday. I hope that some sort of suitable plan to redevelop and restore it comes about.