There’s something we love about scaffolding. It holds that promise that something might be happening. It can also hold the insult of inaction. Today we have action. Crews have begun repair work on what could possibly be Phoenix Hill’s most dangerous building. The three-story structure belongs to the Bargain Supply Warehouse, which takes up most of the block, but was damaged pretty badly in this year’s Death of Ike storm. The entire roof was peeled away and the third floor nearly went with it.
The Grateful Threads store long located on what some call Head Shop Row along Bardstown Road went under new management earlier this year and after a closing scare, has opened back up. The new location is on Bardstown near Tyler Parkway (Map/StreetView). Maybe we’re a little slow and didn’t notice this has been open a while? But we saw it today and it has a giant “Grand Reopening” sign, so we’re bringing it to you.
The new Grateful Threads effectively stretches Head Shop Row well past Eastern Parkway, nearly doubling its length. The other end, we guess is the Electric Ladyland far off to the south. They have also jumped into the 21st century marketing with a MySpace profile and a web site that doesn’t work yet. There’s still plenty of tie-dye, though.
In an area known for Keeping Louisville Weird, Grateful Threads specializes in Keeping Louisville Dead. And with a clever play on words like that (the name or the slogan?), who can be against it?
[P.S. There’s a new mural in the works on the north side of the building. ]
We’re pleased to announce the winners of the first Broken Sidewalk Give-Away Contest. That’s right, we randomly selected two winners to each receive a copy of The Catalogue of the First Exhibition – 1912. This volume is a limited edition reprint of the original issued by the American Institute of Architects, Central Kentucky Chapter. There were only 150 books made, and two lucky Broken Sidewalk readers now have a copy, just in time for the holidays.
Louisville lost the 50,000 person convention in 2005, but now WHAS is reporting that the FFA is back in a few years. They say an announcement will be made Friday with more details, which include a convention-sharing deal with Indianapolis (More at WHAS 11 News)
Transportation Issues
The historic home of one of America’s greatest heroes has been decorated for the holidays and the former tenant will be roaming the halls of the 1850s-era house. Thomas Edison himself will be on hand to speak with visitors and answer questions. There will also be seasonal music and light refreshment at the open house. The event begins at 5:00 p.m. this evening (Wednesday, December 10) and runs through 8:00 p.m. The Edison House is located at 729-731 East Washington Street. More information on the Edison House and maps can be found on its web site.
Construction is wrapping up on the latest creative addition to West Main Street. Or actually just around the corner on Sixth, but close enough. The West Main Corridor has been a growing hub of the creative industry for some time, with the addition of two architecture offices already this year. Now, yet another architecture firm is preparing to enter the scene.
This time, The Estopinal Group based in Jeffersonville will be opening a satellite office covering about 2,500 square feet of ground floor space at 127 Sixth. The space will be home to 12 to 15 employees and the expansion coincides with the firm’s 20th anniversary this June. The architecture firm employs 75 at its main Southern Indiana office, five in Shreveport, and five more in an Evansville office.
The renovations are nearly complete and the office is expected to be fully operational in the first few weeks of January. Several exterior additions have still to be installed, though. Small canopies over the entrances to the two row-buildings that house the firm should be installed soon and a steel screen wall with a special pattern will cover about 40 feet of parking along Sixth Street.
The interior of the space features natural wood partition walls and white surfaces with bright accent colors. An atrium once closed in the back of the building has been opened up to allow additional light into what could have been a dark, narrow office. Significant repairs have been made to the building as it had previously suffered from water damage. The series of buildings represents some of the oldest architecture in downtown. Here’s some history from a plaque mounted to the building’s limestone facade:
Built during the 1830’s, this and the adjoining building at 127 are all that remain of a cluster of five warehouses which stood on this site, two of which occupied the tract between the north wall and the alley. Such warehouses, located near the waterfront, served the steamboat and business trades, and were important to the growth and development of Main Street. Faintly appearing on the stone lintel over the entrance is the name C.B. Cooper who occupied this building as a tinsmith and a dealer in stoves, grates, copper, tin, and sheet iron during the 1850’s and 1860’s. Purchased by R.L. Durning in 1943 as a warehouse, it was completely renovated and the north wall fenestrated in 1983 for use as an office building.
Dismas Charities has been recently working to keep their Old Louisville facilities in top condition. The organization owns several properties on the corner of Oak Street and Second Street that have recently undergone exterior work. Two houses have already been tuckpointed and a former church is now undergoing brick work. The church was not in desperate need of repair, but would need work in the future, so the group opted to stay ahead of maintenance on their historic properties.
