One of Louisville’s most famous 19th century mansions can’t find a buyer. The Pink Palace on St. James Court in Old Louisville has recently been taken off the market after no offers surfaced in five months. A tipster pointed us to a listing for the house in Preservation magazine which lists the house for sale at $875,000.
The magazine, operated by the National Trust For Historic Places, went on to describe the house:
The elegant century-old craftsmanship is dazzling. The mansion features intricate millwork, dramatic archways, massive wood mantels, and oak hardwood floors. The upper floors boast dramatic views of nearby Central Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.
The owner says the market just isn’t right to sell such a magnificent home. He finds most people in Old Louisville are looking for cheaper homes to fix up, not an already restored mansion in perfect condition. While the house isn’t formally being marketed, the owner will still consider offers on the property.
The Pink Palace even comes with its own web site. The home was originally built as a gentleman’s clubhouse for Louisville’s emerging first suburb where wealthy Louisville men retreated for a cigar and game of cards. The home features a large yard with a swimming pool. Here’s a little more history including how the house was painted pink:
Completed in 1892 as red brick Queen Anne Victorian, the Palace was christened the “St. James Court Casino.” The home was sold to the Women’s Christian Temperance Union in 1910, who immediately painted it pink to distance the organization from the building’s past usage. Since then, it has served as home to a number of Louisville mayors and other noteworthies.
Apparently, the Z’s Fusion Restaurant on the corner of Fourth Street and Market Street in the former Kunz’s restaurant opened today. The mayor was on hand for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting, but we couldn’t make it to the event, so we’re unsure if you can actually get a meal tonight. We did stop by yesterday and snapped a couple photos of crews putting the finishing touches on the restaurants exterior.
The new 10,000 square foot restaurant will serve creative Asian-inspired cuisine and was originally hoped to open in November. Better late than never in this economy. Yesterday, the site was a flurry (in a flurry, sorry) as crews worked on the metal canopy over the main entrance which has been covered in black granite. Delivery trucks were rushing in and out and more workers were fixing panels on the south side of the building. We’ll try to stop by soon to check out the inside and see the menu.
University of Louisville Arena (from UofLarenaseats.com)
The University of Louisville Arena has a fancy new website, complete with a new video rendering of the project. The new site, called U of L Arena Seats, is meant to ease the transition from Freedom Hall to the new facility, and, of course, sell tickets. Besides the video rendering (download it here, warning: large file), the site features links to a construction gallery, interior and exterior renderings, news articles, and a live webcam.
Seating charts on the site allow you to choose your seats early. You can also get donation information through the site. There’s even a countdown-by-the-second clock, which also reveals the opening date on Halloween 2010, but 20 minutes later than the on-site clock, so it looks more like All Saints Day than All Hallow’s Eve. We’re still planning a trick-or-treat outing in hopes that the ‘bucket’ is full of goodies.
Imagine if there was a bike lane everywhere you wanted to cycle. Instead of spending thousands of dollars building lanes all across the city, designers Alex Tee and Evan Gant of Altitude Inc. have created a laser “Light-Lane” that projects your very own lane on the road beneath your bike. Every cyclist becomes his or her own lane. The idea, according to the design team, is to create a margin of safety that’s readily visible to motorists in an effort to increase bike safety in low-visibility situations.
The Second Broken Sidewalk Give-Away Contest results are in. Two lucky winners have been drawn at random to receive two tickets each to an upcoming showing of My So-Called So-Called Life presented by the Walden Theater at the Kentucky Center. The winners are Keith LaBelle and Benjamin Payne. Thanks to everyone who entered the contest; we should hopefully be having these regularly. If you didn’t win, you should still go to the show! Check out more details of the event here.
Bellegrove Executive Campus Rendering (Courtesy Village Solutions)
There’s more development activity set for downtown Anchorage, which has been slowly transforming itself over the last couple of years. This time, Village Solutions plans to convert two historic structures and build several new buildings in an effort to create a unique office development centered around a formal English courtyard. The property once belonged to Belleview Home, but was recently sold for redevelopment.
Village Solutions plans to eventually build three new Jeffersonian-style structures to match the historic architecture, anchored by Boone Hall, the original girl’s dormitory at Bellwood. The development, dubbed Bellegrove strives to preserve and protect the environment and create an abundance of green space and gardens. Developer Rick Hill envisions 5 buildings in a botanical garden setting with groves of 100 year old trees all around. Already, a creative center is finishing up construction and a reproduction facility for large-format graphics and printing is planned.
Plans call for leaving much of the 4.5 acre site open. A large “outdoor living room” will link the new structures, that, when complete, could encompass around 22,000 square feet. The site could have supported more than double the space under conventional development standards, but Hill wanted to create a special project for the historic neighborhood. He studied the original layout of the buildings to maintain a perceived master plan following Olmsted principles.
Boone Hall, built in the 1930s, has an elaborate Greek-revival facade, and a twin two-story building will be built to its side to create formal symmetry on site and reinforce a perspective toward the original Bellewood laundry facility which is also being renovated. Bellegrove will feature high-quality materials in its renovation and new construction including copper gutters and slate roofs. Rick Hill noted that the new construction will not mimic the old, but be held to the same high standards.
Bellegrove Executive Campus Site Plan (Courtesy Village Solutions)
The project aims to be a model in handling rainwater runoff. Throughout the site, pervious brick paving will allow water to seep back into the ground, away from storm sewers. The remaining water runoff will be channeled into a wildflower and prairie grass garden with a gazebo. Hill speculates that this garden will be the largest prototype rain garden in the region and plans teaching classes where rainwater design issues will be discussed.
The initial phases of the project are expected to open by Derby this year, and a series of community events are planned around its opening. New construction will take place over time as the markets allow and office suites are for sale and lease. Spaces range from large suites to small “craftsmen cottages.” Rick Hill sees other development in Anchorage, most notably the new commercial district build by John Schnatter’s Evergreen Real Estate, as reinforcing a greater whole. The nearby walking trails and cafes will only benefit his project.
We’re glad the project reuses the historic structures and offers the potential for neighbors to work close to home. Combined with other development in the area, Anchorage is quickly becoming a walkable neighborhood, even with its park-like, rural nature. Emphasis of the formal English garden and rain gardens as a project focal point should also help highlight small scale methods of diverting rainwater runoff from our overwhelmed sewer system.
