Anyone know the story behind this corner commercial building on 20th and Madison streets in the Russell neighborhood? After trying to find the scoop myself unsuccessfully, I figured one of you might know the answer. Tell us in the comments.
I found the building with a gaping hole in its side last year around the same time as the partial collapse at the Ouerbacker House a few blocks away. I assumed then that this was also a collapse and expected the building to be demolished. Upon checking back, the structure has been repaired, albeit not quite to its original architectural grandeur, but at least it’s still standing. Take a look at the original structure as captured on Google Maps below.
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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That gaping hole was caused by a car. There was an accident at that corner and a car plowed right into it. It took several weeks but the owners repaired the building. If you look across the street you can see where someone has stacked what was remaining of the columns in their side yard.
The building is still used as an apartment building and I believe that all of the units are currently rented.
Thanks, Haven. I knew the story was out there, but what an unfortunate turn of events. It’s too bad there wasn’t a bollard there on the corner to stop the car from hitting the building. Hopefully no one was hurt in the mess. When I stopped by to photograph the “after” photo, I did see the stone pieces stacked across the street. The detailing of the old columns was really interesting. (It looks like there was one large piece of stone there before the accident as well from Google Street View.) I will update the post this afternoon.
the new columns and upper story windows are… um … also unfortunate. let’s hope they’re a placeholder for a future and better reworking.