While we were visiting the 810 East Broadway development yesterday, we noticed a stretch of metal streetcar track that had been exposed during construction. Louisville once had an extensive streetcar system connecting all of the historic city and many of the tracks are still in place under many streets, although now unusable. They surface from time to time with utility work or construction, like these tracks we found on Preston Street last year. You can sometimes find hints of the tracks beneath asphalt: here, parallel cracks about 4-inches wide are a clue at the top of the photo.
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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There is a historical marker in Clifton at Frankfort and Haldeman Avenues commemorating the trolley line that terminated at that point. The marker was put in about 10-15 years ago (I wrote the text for the marker while serving as Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Louisville). There is even a cool photo of the trolley turning around at that site and a section of the actual trolley car rail as part of the display. The trolley line looped around an ice cream shop. Former City Alderman Melissa Mershon funded the project. The text also appears in Braille since the KY School for the Blind is catty corner from the trolley turnaround.
similar marker at douglass loop!