We recently took a deep dive into the issue of Oak Street in Old Louisville and what it will take to revive that commercial thoroughfare. One of the critical components of creating a strong Old Louisville is creating a neighborhood that’s more than a bedroom community. And that means jobs. Luckily, some 300 city workers have recently moved into a large warehouse on Old Louisville’s western edge.
The so-called Edison Center at 701 West Ormsby Avenue is the work of City Properties Group and is beginning to see new life after a lengthy renovation. The structure previously was used by LG&E as a service building. Situated in the center of a flat, partially contaminated site, the Edison Center has plenty of room to add new buildings. And City Properties Group plans to do just that in an effort to create an Innovation District in the neighborhood.
The nearly completed first phase office building began with strong bones, which shine through in new photos of the building’s second and third floors by J. L. Jordan Photography shared by the developers today. An open floor plan allows natural light from the structure’s enormous windows to flood the deep floor plates. White paint, a generally modern aesthetic, and punches of bright color add to the vibrancy.
According to City Properties Group, the complete building will include private meeting rooms, a media room, and a cafe on the first floor. The building is scheduled to be completely finished in late May. Besides the 300 Metro Louisville employees calling the building home, additional office space is also available for lease.
Those 300 city workers were relocated from structures at 810 and 850 Barret Avenue where mold was discovered to be creating unsafe working conditions. The city departments located in the Edison Center include the Air Pollution Control District, Community Services, Community Action Partnership, Jefferson County Clerk, LMPD Narcotics Division, and the Jefferson County Coroner, according to a February 2015 city press release. The city signed a 15-year lease with City Properties Group for the space.
The fate of that large complex in the Paristown Pointe neighborhood remains uncertain.
A nice reuse of an old warehouse. Hope to see more redevelopment in this corridor. My only cocerm is that it appears they paved over every inch of the surrounding property. Former industrial site or not, could they have incorporated some landscaping into their plans? Especially since it is next to a residential neighborhood?
Love everything except the insane amount of parking. ..like a Walmart parking lot.