The old Court House, now called Metro Hall downtown on Jefferson Street was damaged in last year’s ‘wind event.’ A tipster wrote in asking about the damage to the cornice and soffit of the building which has left exposed wood and allowed the elements into the building. We looked into the damage, and found that repair work is slated to begin next Tuesday. Repairs are expected to take one or two days and the exterior should be as good as ever.
A while ago, workers completely refurbished the stucco on the south facade of Metro Hall. Work involved scraping the peeling facade, painting it blue, and applying a smooth finish. The new look on the old building looks great, but the city has no plans currently to continue the facelift to the remaining three sides. With the budget situation and the economy sliding, there’s no money left over to restore the building completely. According to Kerri Richardson, the mayor’s spokesperson, the city would still like to complete the work, but it may be several years down the line.
One last note while we’re talking about the old court house: it’s old. Construction on the building began in 1837 and it was fully completed 23 years later in 1860. That makes the structure a contemporary of Westminster Palace, the seat of Parliament in London. The British counterpart began construction in 1840, six years after the old facility burned. Louisville’s seat of government is housed in an older structure than that of England. Not bad for a little town on America’s western frontier. Louisville has some history, after all.
