Urban Renewal

West Main short on residents, critical in shaping Louisville’s urban identity

Last Fall, I was asked by real estate publication Curbed which street in Louisville was the most culturally significant. I wondered about Bardstown Road...

This map shows just how much Downtown has changed in 60...

Earlier this week, we took a look at an old editorial from 1955 calling for the bombing of Downtown Louisville to make way for...

That time the Courier-Journal proposed bombing Downtown Louisville

On June 29, 1955, the Courier-Journal published an editorial accompanied by a photo of Rotterdam after it was destroyed by bombs during World War II....

Tonight! KY Place documentary series tackles the Ninth Street Divide

"The history of the 9th Street Divide starts with urban renewal. Around that time period, cities around the country decided they were going to...

Worst: Louisville went crazy with the wrecking ball in the name...

A policy that was intended to improve the quality of life for city-dwellers actually resulted in expediting the social and cultural deterioration of urban Louisville. We're...

Best: Louisville made bank with the architecture of today’s Actors Theater

  Built as the Bank of Louisville in 1837, this small but distinguished structure on Main Street has survived 180 years of weathering, and, more...

Haymarket to Highway, Part 1: The History

The Haymarket maintains a special place in the collective conscious of Louisville's urban life. It represents a time of intense vitality in the city's...

They Tore The Whole Thing Down: Fourth Street

Fourth Street north of Jefferson was once a vibrant and architecturally stunning part of Louisville. The corridor has always been an important spine for...

Looking Back At The View From The Glassworks

Louisville's urban core was once an incredibly dense area. In the era of Urban Renewal, when large swaths of the city were razed en...