Upset over the apparent death of Broken Sidewalk? Fear not, the BS returns. We have been on vacation in New York and out of the Louisville grapevine. Yes, small town blog makes it to the big city. As we shake the lazy out of us, regular posting should continue, but as always, we need your insights to tips@brokensidewalk.com.
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary broke ground recently on their nearly $6 million new Welcome Center. The new building will incorporate a large Alumni Room, welcome center and lounge with theater, and a new cafeteria. The structure will be the formal entrance for visitors on campus with a columned circular driveway and a domed roof whose profile will form a new logo for the school.
This Old House magazine has ranked Louisville among the Top 12 Places to Buy an Old House. The Old Louisville neighborhood shares this designation with cities such as Reading, PA’s Centre Park Historic District, Brooklyn, NY’s Victorian Flatbush neighborhood, and the Hampton Heights area of Spartanburg, SC.
The selection criteria included more than just architectural value:
Our top criteria for choosing a winner included architectural diversity, the craftsmanship of the homes, and the preservation momentum in the area. But we were also interested in neighborhood amenities: walkability, services, and community. What we found is that people who live in historic places aren’t just lovers of golden-age architecture, but of old-fashioned neighborhood values as well.
The magazine loves the neighborhood for its proximity to downtown and the university, Central Park, and, of course, the victorian mansions. Further, the neighborhood is still affordable for buying and fixing up an old house and could potentially “one day have the cachet of Boston’s Beacon Hill and other comparable treasure troves.” See the complete list of 12 here or read the complete This Old House article with photo gallery here.
Crews worked to demolish a portion of the eastern LG&E substation today as work continues on overall site clearance. LG&E says some of the electrical capacity has been switched over to the new substation at 3rd Street & River Road but a portion of the old substation is still live. Demolition on the red brick LG&E structure will occur last in sequence as the rest of the grid is transferred over to the new system.
Work continues on the old Humana Building directly to the north to prep it for implosion. The Demolition Event of the Millennium will tentatively take place a week from this Saturday as the world watches the implosion’s dust cloud envelope downtown Louisville.
High explosives will be attached to the black dots on the columns in the center of the building that will effectively cut the building in half as it falls.
Here’s your updated construction photo of the ZirMed Gateway Towers at the corner of Market Street and 9th Street.
A historic row building at 620 West Main Street has been blocking the sidewalks for some time now as its windows get new paint. The old scheme of several dingy greys is being replaced by a new scheme of a light and vibrant grey. Doesn’t all the scaffolding on the sidewalk make it feel like something important is going on, though?
It’s that time of year again. The mayflies have come out in full force for their annual party at the waterfront. Thousands of the tiny winged insects can be seen covering anything and everything as they live out their day-or-so-long existence. The young wingless creatures grow in water before emerging all at once to mate and die.
Have a wonderful Holiday Weekend from the Broken Sidewalk!
The University of Louisville Medical School campus is made of concrete with a little more concrete to soften the edges. A new plan could change the quad into a grassy meadow and throw in a new grand entrance for good measure.
