Frankfort Avenue Corner Store Turns Deco

By Branden Klayko -
0
Renovation complete at Frankfort & Stilz Avenues

A corner building on Frankfort Avenue and Stilz Avenue has been renovated to reflect its art-deco heritage. Once home to Mom’s Music, the historic building dating to the turn of the century has now been converted into three retail spots and a luxury apartment.

Developer Weichert Realty/ABG Properties has expanded into the front of the building and two new retail spots should be filled soon. Los Monitos Language Center will be relocating to one of the additional spaces September 1st. Previously located at the Mellwood Center, the company expects the high visibility of the corner and the memories of Mom’s Music to draw business.

Los Monitos offers classes in Spanish, French, Italian, and German with children’s programs in Spanish. Three classrooms in the new space will also help out with community and cultural events such as cooking classes and wine tastings. An open house is scheduled for September 20th and new classes start September 14th. The last retail spot is currently unoccupied but Bill Friel with Weichert Realty says he is in discussions with a couple of prospective tenants.

Behind the retail space, a two-story luxury loft has also leased. The 1,500-square-foot, two-bedroom unit provides a well rounded mix of uses for the corner serving as a gateway into the heart of Crescent Hill.

Friel says he is happy with the end result of the renovations and notes that the Crescent Hill neighborhood has been supportive as well. He says the inspiration for the design came from historic photos of the building in the 1930s when it featured an art-deco facade. As a developer, Friel says his interest is in landing tenants and it seems as though this project was a success as only one space remains.

Jeffersonville Considers Innovative Canal District

By Branden Klayko -
16
Proposed route of Jeffersonville canal (courtesy City of Jeffersonville)
Proposed route of Jeffersonville canal (courtesy City of Jeffersonville)
Proposed route of Jeffersonville canal. (courtesy City of Jeffersonville)

Mayor Tom Galligan thinks a storm sewer can be beautiful and spur economic development in Jeffersonville. In one of the most ambitious moves in the entire region, Jeffersonville is proposing to build a canal district from the foot of the Big Four Bridge paralleling its historic downtown and anchored by a convention center and hotel.

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Snapshot: JCTC Allied Health Building Moving Along

By Branden Klayko -
0
JCTC Allied Health Building on Second Street

It’s been a while since we checked in with construction of the Jefferson Community & Technical College‘s new Allied Health building on its Downtown campus, and we’re pleased to see a nearly complete exterior facade. Since April, construction crews have finished laying brick, installed metal panels, and placed windows with two shades of glass.

JCTC Allied Health Building on Second Street
JCTC Allied Health Building on Second Street. (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

A glass curtain wall is currently climbing up the signature staircase on Second Street topped with a curved roof. Elsewhere, work is also being done on the building’s main entrance at the core of the JCTC campus. We’re not sure what the interior is looking like, but it’s sure to take a while longer to get the interior finishes completely installed. The building wraps around an older concrete structure, filling in a once sunken courtyard; it was designed by Arrasmith, Judd, Rapp, Chovan of West Main Street.

The Allied Health building can’t be finished too soon, though. The C-J is reporting how enrollment at Jefferson Community & Technical College has soared 7.5 percent this year with 1,000 additional students.

JCTC Allied Health Building
JCTC Allied Health Building. (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

LEGOs While We Work

    By Branden Klayko -
    0

    Okay, I’m almost done editing several hundred new photos from Louisville last week and some exciting stories will start going online tomorrow morning. In the meantime, check out this amazing video of legos. (via @urbanophile)

    Monday News Roundup

      By Broken Sidewalk -
      2
      Photo by Diane Deaton-Street
      Photo by Diane Deaton-Street
      (Diane Deaton-Street)

      Another challenging sidewalk photo last Friday taken on Bellevue Avenue near Olmsted Academy North just south of the Watterson and west of Southern Parkway and Beechmont. If you haven’t been over there, the neighborhood is very nice and walkable and the school building is beautiful with an historic building and a quality modern addition done mostly in concrete.

      Here’s a new sidewalk photo just waiting to be identified in the comments.

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      Friday News Roundup

        By Broken Sidewalk -
        5
        Photo by Diane Deaton Street
        Photo by Diane Deaton Street
        (Diane Deaton Street)

        No guesses again for our last sidewalk photo Wednesday, which was taken on Gardiner Lane. Here’s a new photo with hopes of some new guesses in the comments.

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        Bridges Project Threatens Other Local Transportation Projects

        By Branden Klayko -
        1
        (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)
        (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

        The Ohio River Bridges Project could threaten smaller transportation projects around the Louisville region. The C-J reported today that because there’s no financing plan for the $4.1 Billion fiasco, the Federal government could freeze important short-term transportation projects. A December deadline has been imposed to settle on a financing plan.

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        Arena Mayhem: This Thing’s Getting Tall Edition

        By Branden Klayko -
        2
        Downtown arena construction

        We had a chance today to check in with construction progress at the new arena and were pleasantly surprised at how high the structure has risen on its north end. This one seems never to disappoint as it is continuously humming with activity.

        Arena layout becomes apparent
        Arena layout becomes apparent. (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

        I’m going to leave it to the photos to explain the progress, but I wanted to note how the shape of the arena is beginning to really become apparent. In a photo after the click, a red line indicates where the front of the glass lobby wall will eventually be and a curving swoop indicated where a future fountain, landscaped bed, and amphitheater will be in the large outdoor plaza.

        From our oblique aerial vantage point, the bowl of the arena seems very small, but the large scale of the project and yet undefined concrete edges can play tricks on the eye. On the north side of the construction site, plenty of scaffolding covers the entire facade and the “swooping” waterfall facade hasn’t yet become apparent.

        Also of note, underneath the Second Street Bridge, crews were working today to demolish the last remnants of the floodwall. One piece of heavy machinery was delicately swinging a wrecking ball between the arena and a small concrete box, now shattered and ruined. A new “door-style” flood gate on hinges will soon be attached crossing Second Street.

        After walking around the entire arena, I decided to check out the view from the riverfront. Seen below, it looks like the arena has pulled a disappearing trick. Imagine, though, if that giant concrete and steel behemoth weren’t there, instead replaced with a park and a great view of the new arena leaning towards the river’s edge. 8664.org says we can do it.

        View of arena from waterfront
        View of arena from waterfront. (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

        Demo Watch: Warehouse On First Street Shorter

        By Branden Klayko -
        3
        Warehouse reduced to a single level

        An historic three-story whisky warehouse dating to the 1860s has been reduced to just one story. We knew in May that the building’s future prospects didn’t look good as an emergency demolition order was posted on the front door, but building owner Dan Borsch didn’t want to let the building go so easily.

        Inside the partially razed structure
        Inside the partially razed structure. (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

        As issue was a shifting brick party wall that could have potentially caused a collapse. With one story left, the southern wall still leans slightly, but won’t cause the damage of a total collapse. The limestone facade is still intact, and could be salvaged.

        Broken Sidewalk toured the building last fall. The structure was in better shape back then and filled with sturdy wooden beams and columns that 150 years ago help up barrels of whisky. We’re not sure what the future holds for the remaining one-story building, but demolition work was no longer apparent today, so it could be there a little while longer.

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