The construction fences have been removed from the Fleur-de-Lis condos on the corner of Preston and Main streets, revealing a streetscape long barred from pedestrians. The last time we remember walking along this stretch of Main Street, the old Brinly-Hardy complex was still standing and boarded up. We had forgotten what the town looks like from this particular angle, and as it turns out: not bad.
This intersection is one of the most transformed in all of Louisville with Slugger Field and a new condo building across Preston. The Preston Pointe building across Main Street (by the same architect as the FDL, Potter & Associates), shows off its shiny steel angles pretty well, too, from the new sidewalk. The sidewalk design follows what has been done elsewhere in the area surrounding the ballpark: red and black bricks with street trees. This stretch, though, features granite curbs and of course, a new luxury mixed-use building.
The work on the exterior of the building is all but done (some steps and a few metal panels aren’t finished). Beginning next year, work will resume finishing the interior spaces including two landscaped courtyards. Waterproofing should be done in the coming weeks and planting medium and some plants will be installed shortly after that. Other cold-sensitive plants will be installed in the spring.
Before any plants hit the building, though, we should be seeing actual human life on the property. The first condo will close next Wednesday and moving trucks will soon be parked along the street. Thirty-three of the building’s 82 units have been sold so far and a model unit is open for tours on Sundays. One last note we don’t really know much about: is Preston Street soon to be two-directional between Main and Market? New street lights were installed a little while back facing both ways, so maybe the street’s in for a change.
- Snapshot: Fleur-de-Lis Update: November 2008 (Broken Sidewalk)
- Snapshot: Fleur-de-Lis Update: October 2008 (Broken Sidewalk)
The new sidewalk provides for the first public views of the building up close. We took the opportunity yesterday to photograph the building as close as we could.
Oh my, the scale and beauty of this development is very nice!