Woman walking on Dixie Highway killed by motorist

May 31, 2016

In early May, a woman walking along Dixie Highway near Farnsley Road in Shively was struck and killed by a motorist. The incident took place Sunday, May 8 around 10:30p.m.

Carolyn Warner, 55, was struck by an unidentified motorist driving an SUV. She was reportedly trying to cross the street. According to news reports, no charges were filed against the driver.

The collision was reported by WAVE3, WLKY, WDRB, and WHAS11.

The news media offered few details of the incident, but WAVE3, WHAS11, and WLKY all called the crash an accident, and WDRB questioned police as to whether the woman was in the crosswalk, a typical tactic establishing pedestrian blame. Police would not say where Warner was struck. None of the news reports indicated that she was struck by a driver, rather the too-brief articles all removed the driver, claiming the woman was struck by the vehicle, or just struck. Poor reporting all around.

What we do know is that there are no crosswalks in the area at all. To reach the next crosswalk, a person walking on Dixie at Farnsley Road would have to walk 1,650 feet south to Nobel Place or good luck going north where the next crosswalk doesn’t appear for over a mile at Millers Lane. Compounding the problem, there are only a few sidewalk remnants in a disconnected network here, forcing pedestrians through empty fields, a disarray of parking lots, or worse, onto the roadway shoulder.

The corner radius at Farnsley Road is also grossly oversized, allowing motorists to take the turn at unsafe speeds, and a TARC stop on the block is a barely noticeable sign on a telephone poll in a grassy patch sandwiched between traffic and a parking lot.

The speed limit on this stretch of Dixie Highway is posted at 35 miles per hour, with the residential side streets marked at 25mph, but the area is designed for speeds much higher than that. The four-lane highway is divided by a small, raised median and flanked by asphalt shoulders and almost no street trees, opening up the field of view and making higher speeds feel appropriate on the streets oversized travel lanes. An overabundance of curb cuts sends motorists unpredictably into parking lots at all points along the roadway, creating a dangerous chaos.

The death of Carolyn Warner was no accident, Dixie Highway is dangerous by design.

Louisville is in the midst of a three-year, federally funded pedestrian safety campaign called Look Alive Louisville due to the city’s above average pedestrian fatality rate. We track pedestrian and cyclist collisions here. The city is working with the state to redesign a large portion of Dixie Highway to increase safety, and those changes can’t come soon enough.

[All images courtesy Google.]

How over 70 volunteers helped restore the Appalachian home where Hatfield-McCoy feud ended

By Branden Klayko -

May 26, 2016

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(Courtesy York House Rehabilitation Project)

In what the main expert called “the largest volunteer historic preservation event in the history of America,” 70 or more volunteers from several states are restoring a historic home in Pikeville, Ky., in the heart of the Central Appalachian coalfield.

“Pikeville is one of the most amazing towns I have worked in anywhere across the country,” preservation expert Bob Yapp told the Appalachian News-Express, the town’s thrice-weekly newspaper.

The York House was built in 1874, when Pike County was still a land of timbering and subsistence farming and the notorious Hatfield-McCoy feud was still only brewing. John Dils gave the property to his daughter, Augusta, and her husband James York, a lawyer who at one time or another represented both leaders of the feud that erupted in 1878: his neighbor, Randolph McCoy, during the latter phase, and earlier Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield. The end of the feud was negotiated in the parlor of the home, which sits next to the home of feud figure Perry Cline, which is next to the McCoy home, says the project website.

“Once complete, the building will house the Dils-York Cultural Heritage Center,” Alix Casper-Peak reports for WYMT-TV in Hazard.

[Editor’s Note: This article has been cross-posted from the Rural Blog.]

Preservation Focus: Theaters: Royal Theater

By Branden Klayko -

May 26, 2016

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The Royal Theater today. (Kentucky Photo File / Flickr)

(Editor’s Note: As part of Preservation Month 2016, Broken Sidewalk is highlighting some of the most storied theaters of Louisville in an ongoing Focus on Preservation series.)

Royal Theater
1809 West Broadway (Map)
Architect: Joseph & Joseph Architects
Opened: 1911
Status: For Sale

At the corner of 18th Street and Broadway, on the northern terminus of Dixie Highway, lie the concrete remains of the Royal Theater. Considered one of Joseph & Joseph’s earliest ventures into the suburban movie palace market, the building was constructed circa 1911 and has since been subjected to a series of unfortunate cosmetic modifications.

The Royal Theater has been the victim of many unfortunate changes over the years. Left to right: The theater shortly after opening in 1911, the building in 1942, again in 1942, 1964, and how it looks today. (Courtesy UL Archives - Reference, Reference, Reference, Reference; Courtesy Google) — The Royal Theater has been the victim of many unfortunate changes over the years. Left to right: The theater shortly after opening in 1911, the building in 1942, again in 1942, 1964, and how it looks today. (Courtesy UL Archives – Reference, Reference, Reference, Reference; Courtesy Google)

Early photos show the front entrance of the theatre flanked by Ionic columns to the sides, and a topped by a second story balcony trimmed with bas-reliefs of what appear to be vines, flowers, and cherubs, with a lighted “Royal” marquee in the middle. Above it all is an arched window featuring more flowery borders, and a crisscrossed parapet along the front edge of the roof.

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Today, practically all of the exterior details have been wiped away—even the Ionic volutes have been lost, giving the columns a Doric appearance. It’s now home to the Goldsmith Centre, which houses a pawn shop, dental clinic, nail salon, clothing store, and a daycare. Under new management, a vertical “Goldsmith” marquee was added to the front edifice, perhaps as a nod to its early days as a cinema.

This week, the structure’s fate turned another page with news that owner Gus Goldsmith, who runs a high-interest loan business, will leave Louisville to focus on his ventures in Florida. As part of that shift, he has placed the Goldsmith Centre, and the bones of the original Royal Theater, on the market. The larger complex of properties comprising 29,000 square feet is listed for $1.8 million.

Preservation Focus: Theaters: Orpheum Theater

By Branden Klayko -

May 25, 2016

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(Editor’s Note: As part of Preservation Month 2016, Broken Sidewalk is highlighting some of the most storied theaters of Louisville in an ongoing Focus on Preservation series.)

Lights and intricate detailing covered the Orpheum Theater when it opened in 1910.

Orpheum Theater (later known as Rodeo Theater)
318–320 West Jefferson Street
Opened: 1910
Demolished: 1974

A tiny article on the last page of the December 25, 1909, issue of Variety magazine mentioned construction of “a building, which will give Louisville the finest picture house in the south.” That theater was called the Orpheum and it once stood proud on the 300 block of West Jefferson Street.

Plans called for completion of the theater by March 1, 1910, with an approximate cost of $50,000 and operation by the Princess Amusement Company. The 500-seat Orpheum opened to great fanfare later in 1910.

The November 1910 issue of The Nickelodeon magazine contained a page-and-a-half spread for the Orpheum Theater, calling it “one of the most up-to-date picture show houses south of the Ohio river.”

Day and night, illustrations show the theater’s stunning facade of marble and intricate stucco work, making it “literally impossible for one to pass by without noticing the pretty little playhouse.” The exterior contained 1,200 ten-watt tungsten lamps, carefully placed to produce “the most brilliant lighting effect that is possible.”

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Above: A postcard view of the Orpheum (at left) circa 1910–1930 and the same view today.

That 1910 article also described the interior colors (terra cotta and gold), pitch of the amphitheater (six feet), safe construction materials (fireproof concrete), and number of emergency exits (five). A four-person orchestra provided music, and one person produced sound effects; he had “nothing else to do but to produce a satisfactory aural effect in conjunction with the pictures.”

The Orpheum and the Casino, another picture house run by the Princess Amusement Company, catered to ladies and children by showing the standard productions of the day: historic, dramatic, and comic. A 1914 advertisement in the Kentucky Irish American newspaper proclaimed “First Run Films Our Motto!” Princess also operated the Columbia (moving pictures), Hopkins (“high-class” vaudeville and pictures), and Gayety (vaudeville and pictures in the summer) theaters.

By 1940 when this view was taken, the Orpheum's ornate detailing had been scrubbed away. (Courtesy UL Archives - Reference) — By 1940 when this view was taken, the Orpheum’s ornate detailing had been scrubbed away. (Courtesy UL Archives – Reference)

As many historic theaters go, however, time was not so kind to the Orpheum. By the 1940s, the theater’s decorative facade, tungsten lamps, and beautiful cornice details had been scrubbed away. The graceful statues and electric sign are also missing.

Had these fine architectural details been covered up with a facade or removed for some other reason? Are the light bulbs still there? Posters advertise “Valley of the Giants” and “Roy Rogers Wall Street Cowboy,” films released in 1938 and 1939, respectively. It was still showing relatively recent movies, but perhaps growing closer to its later name change.

City directories list the theater—called the Rodeo Theater later in life—still in operation into the 1960s.

A 1967 drawing of the block by Courier-Journal staff artist Bill Fischer.

A commenter on the Cinema Treasures site stated that in 1965, it was a “real dive” with low admission prices, catering mostly to men, but showing fairly recent films. The same commenter mentioned last attending the theater in January 1967. In a drawing of the block by Courier-Journal staff artist Bill Fischer, the Rodeo appears as a glaring blank slate in 1967, the vacant facade more obvious than not.

John Kleber’s Encyclopedia of Louisville described this south side of Jefferson Street as the Thompson Block, a “small enclave of bohemian culture in downtown Louisville from the late 1930s until the early 1960s,” with restaurants, cafes, offices, and used-book stores.

The entire block was cleared to build Downtown's Hyatt hotel and parking garage in the 1970s. (Courtesy UL Archives) — The entire block was cleared to build Downtown’s Hyatt hotel and parking garage in the 1970s. (Courtesy UL Archives)

Unfortunately, urban renewal in the 1960s and 1970s claimed many historic buildings in cities nationwide—and Louisville was no exception. In 1974, the Tyler Block on the north side of Jefferson was razed for construction of the convention center. The south side of Jefferson, including the Rodeo, was quietly cleared around this time to build the Hyatt Regency Hotel, which is still in operation today.

[Top image shows Jefferson Street looking east from Fourth Street with the Orpheum at the left side. Courtesy UL Archives – Reference.]

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx envisions a “gradual shift” away from car dependence

Transportation

By Branden Klayko -

May 25, 2016

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U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. (Courtesy USDOT)

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx criss-crossed the country last week on a tour of the seven finalists for U.S. DOT’s $50 million “Smart City Challenge” grant. (Louisville was eliminated from the competition in March.)

When Foxx was in Portland, Oregon, Jonathan Maus at Bike Portland got a chance to ask him how he plans to change the transportation “paradigm” so walking, biking, and transit become the norm.

Six years after Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood climbed on a table at the National Bike Summit and announced “the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized,” Maus notes, federal policy still tilts heavily in favor of car-based infrastructure.

Here’s what Foxx said:

I think we’re going to need cars. We’re going to need a mix of transportation options. I think we have a supply-side mentality right now at the federal level where we presume that 80 cents on the dollar should go to the automobile within the Highway Trust Fund. And I actually think over the longer term we’re going to need to look at a more performance-based system where we look at things like: How it congestion best reduced? How do we increase safety? How do we move significant numbers of people most efficiently and effectively and cleanly. And I think that’s going to push us into a different mix of transportation choices.

But I think it’s a slow, gradual process. Look around the world and no country has created a multimodal system overnight; but I think that’s ultimately where we’re headed. We have to have a mix of transportation choices. It includes the automobile, but it’s not exclusive to the automobile.

Foxx’s power to set transportation policy pales in comparison to Congress and the White House, but he could be doing more to speed up a shift of priorities at the federal level. The United States could, for instance, reform the way states measure congestion, so people riding the bus count as much as solo drivers. But so far Foxx’s agency has been reluctant to do that.

[Editor’s Note: This article has been cross-posted from Streetsblog.]

How Louisville’s bad air quality is “like a sunburn” for your lungs

By Branden Klayko -

May 25, 2016

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Tuesday was the first Ozone Alert Day of Louisville’s early summer season. The Air Pollution Control District warned us yesterday that ozone levels would be in the “orange zone” Tuesday. This means kids, older adults, active adults, and anyone with heart and/or lung problems should stay inside. If you usually run, bike, or walk outside, head to the gym instead.

The government uses colors to indicate the levels of pollution in the air. (Courtesy American Lung Association)

The problem started Tuesday afternoon when the Air Quality Index for Ozone reached 101 around three in the afternoon. In 2015, our first air quality alert was issued on June 10 and in 2014 the first forecast for bad air was issued for July 22.

In the above video from the American Lung Association, the animation shows how polluted air inflames the body, creating “a bad sunburn” inside the lungs and nose. This “sunburn” tightens up the airways and makes it hard to breathe when ozone levels are high.

From the American Lung Association’s “Health Effects of Ozone and Particle Pollution." (Courtesy American Lung Association) — From the American Lung Association’s “Health Effects of Ozone and Particle Pollution.” (Courtesy American Lung Association)

As I mentioned in an interview with Colin Mayfield of WLKY, Jefferson County got an F for air quality in the American Lung Association’s 2016 State of the Air report. We had 26 “orange” ozone days last year, which means that the ozone levels were unhealthy for young people, older people, and anyone with asthma, heart disease, or other breathing problems. We had six red ozone days, which means the air was unhealthy for all of us in the metro area, and one purple day which is extremely unhealthy.

Rain and wind help to clear the air, so today’s weather could lower the levels. You can get air quality alerts from KAIRE to keep track of the health of our air all summer.

[Editor’s Note: This article has been cross-posted from the Institute for Healthy Air, Water & Soil. Top image showing smog covering Downtown Louisville in September 1972, courtesy U.S. National Archives.]

Architects to showcase top Louisville residential projects in annual Home Tour

By Branden Klayko -

May 25, 2016

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More than any other kind of building, Louisville is a city of houses. Walking through the neighborhoods that make our city great can be like taking a tour of architectural styles through the centuries, from grand Victorian mansions in Old Louisville to shotgun houses in Butchertown, to the bungalows of the Highlands, ranches in St. Matthews, or a distinctly modern house scattered in between. Many are landmarks and many more contribute by defining the streetscape. Together they add up to create an urban fabric that is distinctly Louisville.

Each year, the local architecture community celebrates this tradition of residential architecture in the American Institute of Architect’s Central Kentucky Chapter Home Tour. And this year, we’re excited to partner with the AIA-CKC to present the Home Tour and After Party.

Inside the Abeln Residence by architect Emily Fisher. (Courtesy Rock Paper Hammer)

This year’s tour takes place on Saturday, June 11 from noon until 6:00p.m. with a special After Party Downtown at the Marketplace on Fourth (Map) until 10:00p.m. Eight houses built or renovated by architects and designers will be featured, from the renovation of a 19th century mansion in Crescent Hill to a mid-century ranch in Cherokee Gardens to new homes designed with classic styling in Norton Commons.

Home Tour tickets for all eight houses and the After Party cost $15 in advance via Eventbrite and $20 at the door of any house on the tour (cash only). Proceeds will benefit Habitat for Humanity. You can also share the Home Tour with your friends on Facebook. At the After Party, Broken Sidewalk will be moderating a panel discussion on residential architecture in Louisville.

Beginning next week, we’ll be digging into each house on the tour and speaking with each architect and designer about what makes residential design work in Louisville. Until then, let’s meet the projects that will be featured on the 2016 AIA-CKC Architect’s Home Tour—and don’t forget to reserve your tickets early!

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1. Gruenig Residence

The Gruenig Residence by architect Anne Del Prince. (JL Jordan Photography)

Architect: Anne Del Prince, AIA
Project type: Renovation
Address: 216 Pleasantview Avenue (Map), Crescent Hill

The Gruenig Residence is your classic early 20th-century bungalow brought into the modern era by architect Anne Del Prince. The overhaul replaced the house’s second floor with a similarly proportioned structure to keep the house’s distinct style while adding height inside and three bedrooms upstairs.

2. Adams Residence

Inside the Adams residence by designer Bethany Adams. (Courtesy Bethany Adams)

Architect: Bethany Adams, CID, Associate AIA
Project type: Renovation
Address: 1211 South Sixth Street (Map), Old Louisville

Designer Bethany Adams brought distinctive character to this historic Old Louisville residence, also pictured at top. The renovation included three bathrooms and a kitchen, with dramatic before and after results.

3. Hendon House

The Hendon House by Charles Cash and Mary Herd Jackson. (Courtesy Charles Cash & Mary Herd Jackson)

Architects: Charles Cash, AIA & Mary Herd Jackson, AIA
Project type: Renovation and addition
Address: 201 Crescent Court (Map), Crescent Hill

Built in the 1840s, the Hendon House features 10 fireplaces and a doorbell that operates off a system of pulleys. Architects Charles Cash and Mary Herd Jackson restored the six-bedroom, four-bath mansion, fixing a structural roof problem and making the 19th century house livable in the 21st century.

4. Abeln Residence

Abeln Residence by architect Emily Fisher. (Courtesy Rock Paper Hammer)

Architect: Emily Fisher, AIA / Rock Paper Hammer
Project type: Renovation and addition
Address: 729 Middle Way (Map), Cherokee Gardens

You might expect to see the Abeln House on the pages of Dwell. Architect Emily Fisher of Rock Paper Hammer peeled back decades of changes to this 1950s home, revealing its classic mid century–design details, adding a clerestory and new sloped roof to unite the garage and entry.

5. Gilbert House

Jeff Ralins’s Architectural Artisans renovated the prefabricated Gilbert House. (Courtesy Architectural Artisans)

Architect: Jeff Rawlins, AIA / Architectural Artisans
Project type: Renovation and addition
Address: 1224 Larue Avenue (Map), Prestonia

Back in the ’30s, the metal-panel Gilbert House was cutting edge design, and the structure still stands in contrast to many of its neighboring houses. Architect Jeff Rawlins updated the structure with a new screened-in porch and swimming pool, and reconfigured the garage to create an overall composition that respects the house’s original modern design.

6. Fritschner Residence

The Fritschner Residence by architect Mary Herd Jackson. (Courtesy Mary Herd Jackson)

Architect: Mary Herd Jackson, AIA
Project type: Renovation and addition
Address: 1932 Lowell Avenue (Map), Strathmoor Manor

How do you update the home of an architect? Collaboration. Mary Herd Jackson renovated and built a one-story addition onto a tidy Cape Cod–style house in Strathmoor Manor, the former home of architect Ed Krebs. A new screened-in porch completes the project.

7. Hacet Residence

The Hacet Residence by Greg Burrus, AIA, in Norton Commons. (Courtesy Greg Burrus)

Architect: Greg Burrus, AIA
Project type: New construction
Address: 10912 Meeting Street (Map), Norton Commons

The newly completed Hacet Residence draws on Louisville’s architectural history and urbanism. Located adjacent to the amphitheater at Norton Commons, architect Greg Burrus designed the 9,000-square-foot-house is designed to feel like a townhouse with a polished interior and high ceilings.

8. Yarmuth Residence

The Yarmuth Residence by Greg Burrus, AIA. (Courtesy Greg Burrus)

Architect: Greg Burrus, AIA
Project type: New construction
Address: 8801 Bergamot Drive (Map), Norton Commons

Located across the street from the Hacet Residence in Norton Commons, architect Greg Burrus took a more relaxed tone with the shingle-style Yarmuth House. Drawing on the early-20th-century influences of the style, the 9,000-square-foot-house features a casual modern feel with a fenced courtyard and double balconies.

Arts & Crafts storefront change to go before Bardstown Road Overlay Tuesday

By Branden Klayko -

May 23, 2016

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The character of old buildings shines through in their authenticity, whether that’s history, age or patina, design, materials, or quirk. A single-story stretch of commercial building at 1904–1908 Bardstown Road at Kenilworth Place is quite a simple retail structure architecturally, but attention to detail makes it a superb example of early 20th century commercial architecture and a real gem for the Deer Park neighborhood.

1904–1908 Bardstown Road. (Courtesy Google)

Detail of the terra cotta roof, transoms, and bracketed window frames characteristic of 1904-1908 Bardstown Road. (Courtesy Metro Louisville)

Along Bardstown Road and an adjacent alley, a small decorative roof of terra cotta tiles, today painted and in need of repair or replacement, gives a distinctive texture to the structure. The retail building also features a line of detailed transom windows above a bracketed window frame that furthers this effect. The structure shows craftsmanship that was popular when it was built almost a century ago in the Arts & Crafts style.

With a building like this, the challenge comes when it’s time for maintaining such a facade, and this property could really shine if kept well. But proposed changes that will be discussed Tuesday by the Bardstown Road / Baxter Avenue Review Overlay District (BROD) could fundamentally change the style and character of the structure.

An example of a standing seam roof provided by Oatken's application. — An example of a standing seam roof provided by Oatken’s application.

Property owner Kevin Oetken of Nance Realty has proposed a $30,000 renovation to the property that would:

Remove the existing painted terra cotta roof line and replace them with a bronze-colored standing seam metal roof.
Remove the original wooden storefront system and replace them with bronze-colored aluminum storefront system. Original transoms and frames would be kept in place
Remove luon panels at the existing storefront and replace them with PVC or another similar material.

While it’s certainly welcome news that the transoms and bracketed window frames will be kept intact, the material change at the roofline (and to a lesser extent at the storefront system) will give the structure an altogether different look than it has today. In documents submitted to the city, the roof cost is estimated at $9,000 to $17,000 for the new metal portion. No estimates were listed for replacing the section with similar terra cotta tiles in keeping with the structure’s original design.

The Bardstown Road / Baxter Avenue Review Overlay District (BROD) will discuss the proposal tomorrow, Tuesday, May 24 at 12:00p.m. at the Metro Development Center, 444 South Fifth Street. The meeting is open to the public and should be pretty short, as this item is the only one listed on the agenda.

This case will be an interesting example to watch to follow how the BROD interprets its purpose. “The guidelines are not intended to discourage development or to dictate architectural design or style, but to encourage such development that contributes to the overall design quality of the Bardstown Road Baxter Avenue Overlay District,” its objective states. “The guidelines address construction and other external changes to buildings and properties located in the Overlay District.”

The building is currently for lease and more information can be found here. Learn more about the BROD here.

Preservation Focus: Theaters: Macauley’s Theatre

By Branden Klayko -

May 19, 2016

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(Editor’s Note: As part of Preservation Month 2016, Broken Sidewalk is highlighting some of the most storied historic theaters of Louisville in an ongoing Focus on Preservation series. We’re kicking things off today with the theater that ignited Louisville’s romance with theater, Macauley’s.)

Macauley’s Theatre
319 West Walnut Street (now Muhammad Ali Boulevard)
Architect: John B. McElfatrick
Opened: October 13, 1873
Last Show: August 29, 1925
Demolished: December 1925

In 1873 when it was built on West Walnut Street, (now Muhammad Ali Boulevard) between Third Street and Fourth Street, the New Orleans Republican proclaimed Macauley’s Theatre as “one of the finest and most beautiful theatres in the Western country. It is fitted up with all the modern improvements. The ceilings are frescoed in deep rich colors.”

Macauley's Theater, right, before construction of the Starks Building on the site of the old First Christian Church. (Courtesy Forgotten Louisville Architecture) — Macauley’s Theater, right, before construction of the Starks Building on the site of the old First Christian Church. (Courtesy Forgotten Louisville Architecture)

Lobby of Macauley’s Theater showing an extensive collection of John T. Macauley. (Courtesy Theatre Historical Society of America archive)

After the Civil War, mass entertainment such as American vaudeville became more popular since audiences had more money and more time in which to spend it. Louisville was growing as a trade center in the 1870s, and once Macauley’s opened, drama gained in prominence as well.

Actor Bernard “Barney” Macauley decided to build the 1,900-seat theater after settling in Louisville, but it was his brother, “Colonel” John T. Macauley, who operated it successfully for many decades after taking over management in 1880.

Bernard “Barney” Macauley, left, and his brother “Colonel” John Macauley, right, with one of his beloved dogs. (Courtesy UL Archives - Reference, Reference) — Bernard “Barney” Macauley, left, and his brother “Colonel” John Macauley, right, with one of his beloved dogs. (Courtesy UL Archives – Reference, Reference)

Barney made a series of poor business decisions, got the theater into debt, and eventually decided to return to the stage for a handful of years before his death. John worked with other theaters to keep actors touring in established circuits and many of the finest actors and actresses of the day graced the stage, including the debut of Louisville native Mary Anderson in 1875. When John died of cancer in 1915, his obituary in the New York Times stated: “every prominent stage star has appeared” at Macauley’s.

An early view of Macauley's Theater shortly after it opened showing entrance to the theatre is the far left. This photo pre-dates the first section of the Starks building, built in 1913, which eventually led to the demolition of the theater in 1925 for an expansion. (Courtesy UL Archives - Reference) — An early view of Macauley’s Theater shortly after it opened showing entrance to the theatre is the far left. This photo pre-dates the first section of the Starks building, built in 1913, which eventually led to the demolition of the theater in 1925 for an expansion. (Courtesy UL Archives – Reference)

The architect chosen by Macauley was Pennsylvania-born John Bailey McElfatrick. He began building theaters in 1855 and moved to Louisville in 1865. By the 1880s he had relocated again and opened an office in New York City, where his two sons joined him at J. B. McElfatrick & Sons. The firm was well known for theater design across the country. Marilyn Casto’s book, Actors, Audiences, and Historic Theaters of Kentucky, describes McElfatrick’s design of Macauley’s:

[It] incorporated many features that came to characterize the firm’s work. Its preference for extremely ornamental facades with stone and wrought iron, combined with ornate interiors, was reflected in the Louisville theater, as was its tendency to use paneling and red or green with gilt or ivory interiors.

Macauley's Theater in the 1920s. (Courtesy Encyclopedia of Louisville) — Macauley’s Theater in the 1920s. (Courtesy Encyclopedia of Louisville)

The firm is thought to have designed three hundred theaters in the United States and Canada; the Cinema Treasures website lists 42 known theatres built by McElfatrick, but only 6 are known to remain open. One of the most impressive is the Colonial in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, similar to Macauley’s in its grand scale.

Interior of Macauley's Theater on its last night. (Courtesy Tipster) — Interior of Macauley’s Theater on its last night. (Courtesy Tipster)

“The Naughty Wife” – seen on the marquee here – was the last performance at Macauley’s on August 29, 1925. (Courtesy Theatre Historical Society of America archives)

In February 1924, a small mention in Billboard stated that Macauley’s had been sold to John and Isaac Starks, local capitalists. While it commented that the oldest theater in the city would “continue under the same policy, playing road shows and stock attractions,” Macauley’s was suddenly on borrowed time. Its last show was “The Naughty Wife” on August 29, 1925, and demolition began immediately to clear the block for the Starks building expansion. By December, Macauley’s was gone.

It was announced shortly after the theater was razed that Colonel John T. Macauley’s theatrical photograph collection – “probably the finest and largest individual collection in the world”, according to Billboard – would be presented to the University of Louisville. Many of these images of early actors, actresses, and performances can be viewed online here, with their legacies continued in public memory.

As far as keeping long-gone theaters in mind, Barney Macauley was eloquently quoted on opening night in 1873 as saying: “[The] record of a theatre is not history; it is romance. I hope this one will end in romance.”

[Top image of Macauley’s Theater after construction of the Starks Building in 1913 courtesy UL Archives – Reference.]