Take a look at the new floodwall and gate recently installed under the Second Street Bridge at the arena site. The new gate is distinct from other gates around Louisville and features doors that swing on hinges rather than using pieces set in place during times of emergency. One side of the gate reads “Ohio River” and the other says “Louisville.” The design looks good but slightly distracts from the stone arch of the Clark Bridge. A minor inconvenience, I suppose, to keep the city dry when the river decides to behave badly.
Founder and Editor at Broken Sidewalk
Branden founded Broken Sidewalk in 2008 while practicing architecture in Louisville. He continued the site for seven years while living in New York City, returning to Louisville in 2016. Branden is a graduate of the College of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, and has covered architecture, design, and urbanism for The Architect's Newspaper, Designers & Books, Inhabitat, and the American Institute of Architects.
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I'd sure like to see that door which is to swing shut. Apparently it will be massivly wide door requiring an erection procedure somewhat similar to the floodgate segments. Makes one wonder why a door v. stamdard panel segments at all? Nonetheless this is all very interesting. Thanks for the photo and the text.
Ron
As I understand it, the door has not yet been installed but will be a permanent fixture requiring no extra building time. Simply swing the door shut when needed. Steel plates are already on the floodwall ready to accept the hinges and a lateral concrete section on each side will allow the door to sit open without blocking anything. It does look like it will be a large door, though.
A tipster also mentioned a story on the news about someone inscribing “UK” into the top of the floodwall concrete on the east side of the gate. I stopped by again to see if it was still there but only some concrete patchwork was visible looking down from the Second Street Bridge. Anyone see the story on the TV news or have a link to it online?
I think the new flood wall segments pictured have a nice “retro” look, sorta like our beloved stone/concrete relics of the WPA era.
–Weren’t the blasphemous initials carved into the roof of the arena?