Downtown Louisville
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Downtown Louisville, also known as the central business district, is an area in Louisville, Kentucky. Its boundaries are the Ohio River to the north, Hancock Street to the east, York and Jacob Streets to the south, and 9th Street to the west.
The five main areas of the Central Business District consist of:
- West Main District (west of 2nd St., north of Market St., east of 9th St., and south of the Ohio River)
- eMain District (east of 2nd St., north of Market St., west of Hancock St., and south of the Ohio River)
- Medical Center (east of 2nd St., south of Market St., west of Hancock St., and north of Jacob St.)
- Fourth St. District (south of Market St., west of 2nd St., north of York St., and east of 5th St.)
- Civic Center (south of Market St., west of 5th St., north of York St., and east of 9th St.)
The tallest buildings in Kentucky are located in Downtown Louisville and include the AEGON Center designed by John Burgee, National City Tower designed by Harrison & Abramovitz, PNC Plaza designed by Welton Becket, and the Humana Building designed by Michael Graves. Of the 16 buildings in Kentucky over 300 feet, 12 are in Downtown Louisville. In addition, it is the center of local and regional government.
A glassed-in Skywalk stretches six city blocks and links together the Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC), three hotels, and Fourth Street Live.
As of 2000, the population of Downtown Louisville was 2,575.
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[edit] Attractions
Many attractions are located in Downtown Louisville.
- "Museum Row" in the West Main District
- Belle of Louisville
- Early Times Distillery
- Fort Nelson Park
- Fourth Street Live
- Kentucky Center
- Louisville Extreme Park
- Louisville Slugger Field (Home of the Louisville Bats)
- Waterfront Park
- Riverfront Plaza/Belvedere
[edit] History
- See also: History of Louisville, Kentucky
Downtown Louisville is the oldest part of the city of Louisville, whose initial development was closely tied to the Ohio River. The largest early fort, Fort Nelson, was built in 1781 near what is today the corner of 7th and Main streets. Many early residents lived nearby after moving out of the forts by the mid-1780s, although little remains from of the earliest (mostly wood) structures.
Early plans of the city, such as William Pope's original plan in 1783, show a simple grid on an east/west axis along the river. The earliest streets, Main, Market and Jefferson retain their original names from the plan, while the smaller Green Street is now known as Liberty. Main Street was the city's initial commercial hub for nearly a century.
By 1830 Louisville was Kentucky's first city and largest settlement, with a population over 10,000. The steamboat era saw the opening of the Louisville and Portland Canal, and local commerce picked up further with the founding of banks and manufacturing. Most of Louisville's population was packed into downtown, which by this time stretched as far south as Prather Street (later renamed Broadway). Many still-remaining buildings reveal what the area was like at this time, with narrow, two to four-story buildings packing the streets.
The area and the city continued to grow during the railroad era. However, the increased mobility of early trolleys, as well as the shear number and diversity of people moving to Louisville, saw a shift in focus as areas like Phoenix Hill, Russell and what is now Old Louisville began to be built on the edges of downtown, particularly after the city annexed those areas in 1868. Railroads lead to a diminished role for the river in transportation, further reducing the importance of downtown.
In 1890 the first skyscraper, the ten-story Columbia Building, was completed at 4th and Main. The development of three large suburban parks and the electrified streetcar lead to the first true movement to the suburbs at this time. Some of downtown's business and industry followed people toward these areas. But by the 1920s the commercial center of Louisville was still nearby, at 4th and Broadway, dubbed the "magic corner" by the Herald Post. The riverfront area of downtown was still being actively improved, such as with the building of what is now George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge across the Ohio at Second Street in 1929.
After World War II, suburbanization increased and downtown began to decline as interstate highways further reduced the importance of its central location. Since the 1970s, downtown has been the subject of both urban renewal and historic preservation efforts. While many new buildings have been built, it has sometimes been at the expense of older landmarks, such as the Tyler Block.
[edit] Residential
Early residences outside of the forts, still mostly wood structures, were built along the modern street grid on early lots sold to settlers, but have all been demolished over time. What became the almost entirely office and parking-lot dominated downtown still had many solidly single family residential blocks on its fringes up until the early 20th century. Though these houses were built of brick and other longer-lasting materials, few survived urban renewal efforts of the mid-20th century, an exception being the Brennan House at 631 S. Fifth, which is operated as an historic property with daily tours.
By the late 20th century, downtown Louisville had acquired a reputation as a place to work and visit during the week but which shuts down evenings and weekends. However, recent developments such as the 22-story Waterfront Park Place aim to make it an area to live as well.
[edit] Future plans
There are several major projects in the next few years that could have a dramatic effect on downtown, including the construction of the three-tower Louisville Museum Plaza, the conversion of the former Big Four railroad bridge into the longest pedestrian only bridge in the U.S., the construction of a wharf along the Riverwalk Trail, a possible new arena, and the reconstruction of Spaghetti Junction (the intersection of I-65, I-64 and I-71) along with the addition of a new bridge for northbound I-65 traffic.
[edit] Tallest buildings in Downtown Louisville
| Building | Height | Floors | Year completed/projected | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Museum Plaza | 703 ft (214 m) | 62 | 2010 | Proposed |
| AEGON Center (Capital Holding Center, Providian Center) |
549 ft (167 m) | 35 | 1993 | Completed |
| National City Tower (First National Tower) |
512 ft (156 m) | 40 | 1972 | Completed |
| PNC Plaza (Citizens Fidelity Plaza) |
420 ft (128 m) | 30 | 1971 | Completed |
| Humana Building | 417 ft (127 m) | 27 | 1984 | Completed |
| Waterfront Park Place | 364 ft (111 m) | 22 | 2004 | Completed |
| Meidinger Tower (South Tower) |
363 ft (110.6 m) | 26 | 1982 | Completed |
| Brown & Williamson Tower (North Tower, Oxford Tower) |
363 ft (110.6 m) | 26 | 1982 | Completed |
| Waterfront Plaza I | 340 ft (103.6 m) | 25 | 1991 | Completed |
| Waterfront Plaza II | 340 ft (103.6 m) | 25 | 1993 | Completed |
| E.ON U.S. Center (One Corporate Plaza, LG&E Building) |
328 ft (100 m) | 23 | 1989 | Completed |
| Galt House | 325 ft (99 m) | 25 | 1972 | Completed |
| BB&T Building (Louisville Trust Building, United Kentucky Building, Liberty Bank Building) |
312 ft (95 m) | 24 | 1972 | Completed |
| The 800 Apartments | 290 ft ( m) | 29 | 1963 | Completed |
| Avenue Plaza Apartments Metro Housing Authority |
18 | 1974 | Completed | |
| Heyburn Building | 250 ft (76 m) | 17 | 1928 | Completed |
| Galt House East | 20 | 1985 | Completed | |
| J O Blanton House U.S. Housing and Urban Development |
20 | 1972 | Completed | |
| Hyatt Regency | 246 ft (75 m) | 18 | 1978 | Completed |
| Dosker Manor East and West Metro Housing Authority |
18 | 1968 | Completed | |
| Kentucky Home Life Building | 235 ft (71.6 m) | 19 | 1913 | Completed |
| Brown Hotel | 16 | 1923 | Completed | |
| Kentucky Towers Apartments | 202 ft (61.5 m) | 19 | 1927 | Completed |
| Starks Building | 202 ft (61.5 m) | 14 | 1913 | Completed |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Community Resource Network. Retrieved on November 18, 2005.
[edit] Further reading
- Yater, George H. (1987). Two Hundred Years at the Falls of the Ohio: A History of Louisville and Jefferson County, 2nd edition, Filson Club, Incorporated. ISBN 0-9601072-3-1.
