Terrible news for the SoBro neighborhood. One of the finest examples of mixed-use corner stores in SoBro is being torn down after a fire that gutted the upper two floors on July 31. The joists on the second and third floors were mostly burned through and significant water damage caused the insurance company to declare the structure a “total loss” according to owner Joe Dunn.
The fire at 816 South 8th Street is believed to have been set by a vagrant who had been seen “hibernating” in the structure the day before the fire after being released from jail. The same individual had been caught previously setting a small fire in the mulch outside the building and send to jail.
This one will surely be missed as the SoBro neighborhood continues to revitalize, and represents another loss of an historic corner store structure. Preservation Louisville recently listed corner stores as one of Louisville’s most endangered building types.
