We stopped by the Phoenix Lofts construction site this week at Rubel Avenue and broadway to find the exterior looking pretty similar to the last time we we visited in June. We hope they are making the interiors all nice and pretty for us? Hopefully we will see stairs to the modern townhomes arrive shortly.
The deli on the corner of Campbell Street and Washington Street in Butchertown closed down suddenly in July. Disgruntled staff learned of the closing the day the small grocery closed for apparent renovations. Planned improvements included new lights, a new ceiling, and a few new fixtures; generally cleaning the place up. A tipster tells us now that the establishment may not be reopening next month as originally indicated.
The deli may be closed for good. Evidently, gentrification is sneaking from the East Village into Butchertown. As the neighborhood becomes wealthier, it is less accepting to bums hanging out on the corner. Repeated complaints about vagrants may have shuttered the doors forever. Will we see a new and improved stop for a sandwich and soft drink in coming weeks? Probably not… As of late August, no changes have been made to the property, but it is now bare and empty. Better get working soon!
The Fleur-de-Lis Condominiums on the corner of East Main Street and Preston Street have been moving on at a fairly constant slow and steady pace for some time now. Here’s a look at the progress so far. Note the new tiles on the alley-side of the building.
Metro Louisville’s web site has ranked in the top three city government web sites in the country. The other cities in the top three are Las Vegas, NV; Killeen, TX; and Riverside, CA (Okay, so Louisville tied for third place, is still our own Possibility Virtual-City). The awards for first place will be handed out in Hollywood, CA in September, so don’t expect to see Mayor Jerry schmoozing with the stars on the red carpet this year.
Utility work on Preston Street between Main Street and Market Street this week revealed original train tracks beneath the asphalt road’s surface. Louisville had quite an extensive transit system, including subways, back before WWII. Much of the old infrastructure lies just under an inch or two of asphalt, surfacing from time to time reminding us of what we lost.
Earlier this year we told you that the 21c Museum Hotel’s restrooms were in the running for the title as America’s Best Restroom. The results are now in and it seems Louisville has lost out to Nashville for the prestigious title and ranked second in the national competition. This is terrible news considering Louisville’s recent string of top rankings in random best-of lists.
Sure, the Nashville Hermitage’s restrooms may not feature video-art installations, ultra-modern fixtures, or a see-through mirrored waterfall urinal, but they do have a lot of glowing stripes. The contest was sponsored by Cintas Facilities Management who officially say, (more photo’s of the Hermitage can be found on the competition web site). We suppose second best restroom is better than nothing (hey, we beat New York City), but be warned Nashville, the River City won’t go down the crapper without a fight!
Yesterday’s close call with the Museum Plaza Construction trailer got us thinking. How long has it been since there was activity down at the Museum Plaza site? Far too long if you ask us! As crews move out along River Road burying power lines, we decided to take a look back at construction of everyone’s favorite mega-project.
Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? It’s demolition time…
4:15 p.m.: A Broken Sidewalk tipster has just pointed out that the construction trailer at the Museum Plaza site at the corner of 7th Street and Washington Street in Fort Nelson Park is coming down as we speak. It’s really not as bad as it sounds, though; Mortenson Construction is moving the white box just around the corner, behind the floodwall, and out of view to make way for some mysterious IdeaFestival event apparently taking place on the site. Now time for the really bad news.
If you were hoping to be the first to call the Museum Plaza home, you will have to settle for second. Upon removing the siding from the base of the trailer, the very first Museum Plaza Condo was discovered nestled under the trailer. While it may be quite cozy, this first residence is undoubtedly much cheaper than what you’ll be paying to live a little higher up.
The friendly staff at the Museum Plaza sales office just around the corner (Yes, despite rumors, the sales office is open) on Main Street told us not to fear, construction continues in the form of power-line burial, and come January or so, if financing finds its was to town, work on the actual tower will resume.
Spring Street connects Louisville’s Irish Hill and Butchertown neighborhoods from Story Avenue to Lexington Road. The road was built for cars. As Louisville has been watching its image as a bike-friendly community, however, bike lanes were striped connecting Story Avenue to the Beargrass Creek Bike Trail at Locust Street. The bike lanes are broken now. No less than two-dozen cars were parked in the bike lanes near the railroad underpass despite clearly marked “No Stopping – Bike Lane” signs.
The threat of being towed was not even enough to stop these renegade autos. Farther down Spring Street, the bike lane becomes a narrow, barely-three-foot-wide stripe and is littered with uneven pavement and copious debris. Any bike brave enough to traverse this section of street would surely be done in by the broken glass and rock. But hey, the new bike lane signs look great!
The sidewalks along Spring Street aren’t any better. While uneven at best, vegetation has grown out of control to the point of fully blocking the sidewalk in certain spots, forcing pedestrians to cross a dangerous street without a crosswalk. Spring Street could be a great neighborhood street, but not yet in Possibility City.
