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This historical society was established by a group of ten men in 1884 with the intention of preserving and sharing the history of Louisville and Kentucky, a mission that has since grown to include the surrounding Ohio Valley region. The group decided to name their new organization after Kentucky historian John Filson, author of the 1784 book, The Discovery, Settlement, and Present State of Kentucke. The organization operates an archive and gallery in an Old Louisville mansion that was completed in 1905 for local industrialist Edwin Hite Ferguson. The historic mansion served as a funeral home between the 1920s and 1984 when it was acquired by the Filson Historical Society. Today, the Society publishes a quarterly journal and also offers a variety of programs such as reading groups and lectures, as well as thematic tours and programs for families. The Filson also sponsors thematic conferences, such as a 2019 event dedicated to women's history in Kentucky and the Ohio Valley. Of special interest to historians who appreciate whiskey, the Filson offers a Bourbon Academy, a one-day educational program that explores the history of Kentucky's signature libation.

The Filson acquired the Ferguson Mansion in 1986. This Beaux Arts mansion was built in the 1920s for the family of Edwin Hite Ferguson, a leading industrialist. The building later became a funeral parlor in the 1920s.

This historical marker is located in front of the historic mansion. 

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Established in 1884, the FilsonHistorical Society is the oldest and largest privately-supported organization dedicated to Kentucky history. The Filson has been located in the historic Ferguson Mansion since 1986, where it offers one of the most extensive research libraries in the region with nearly two million documents and a collection of 50,000 books. The organization also maintains a gallery space that preserves and shares the history of Kentucky and the Border South region with interpretive exhibits drawn from their collection of historic artifacts, portraits, manuscripts, and rare books. Of special interest to historians, the Filson's Special Collections Department preserves thousands of archival collections that include one-of-a-kind and original historic letters, maps, portraits, diaries, and photographs. 

Filson Historical Society

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This tour picks up where the downtown Louisville tour ends and works its way south to Old Louisville and Central Park before returning near its starting point and making a making a loop through through the Limerick neighborhood. The tour includes several historic churches and homes, as well as important cultural institutions and Louisville landmarks. Highlights of the tour include several historic homes in Old Louisville. The tour concludes at the Filson Historical Society.

The Kentucky Street School was constructed in 1886-87 and later named for Victor Englehard, a prominent Louisville resident who served as president of the Commercial Club and on the education board. A newer elementary school located two blocks northeast of the historic building still bears his name. The school opened during a period when several people, namely wealthy residents, moved southward away from the congested downtown Louisville. The school came at a time when Louisville's Southern Extension, now referred to as Old Louisville, saw a population and residential building boom. Many residents, notably the wealthy, moved southward away from the congested downtown (older) region. In fact, some 260 high-priced homes emerged were built from 1883 to 1886. With an influx of new residents, schools became necessary. Like most structures built during the late nineteenth century in Old Louisville, they enjoyed excellent architectural designs. D.X. Murphy, a local architect, designed the school. Murphy succeeded Henry Whitestone, a major designer of the Italianate style in Louisville; Murphy's early work carried on that tradition. This building exhibits the typical stone banding between lintels associated with residential Italianates in Louisville. In essence, the school is residential in character, allowing it to blend well with adjacent structures. The Kentucky Street School is one of the last two Italianate schools remaining in the city. In 1919, the school was renamed Victor H Englehard Elementary School. In addition to running the family's wholesale coffeehouse business and serving as the school board president, Englehard's position as a commercial club president speaks to the wealth of the neighborhood. Commercial clubs grew popular during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, mainly catering to business and social elites (especially men). The clubs offered members everything from billiards rooms and gyms to libraries and bars. But, his work on the education board allowed his legacy to be honored with the school name. The historic building served the community until 1965 when the town built a new Victor H. Engelhard Elementary School.The large windows and exterior detailing represent a different time for the neighborhood, when it existed as a place for the middle class, many of whom were quite wealthy. When the school opened, Old Louisville existed as a respite from the city congestion, but today, the building remains stately but underutilized and is located next to a ramp that leads to Interstate 65.

This school was built in the late 1880s during a period when numerous Louisville residents, especially the wealthy and emerging middle class, moved southward away from downtown into what is now known as Old Louisville. The school served the community until 1965 when a new school was built a few blocks away. In 1919, the school took the name,  Engelhard School, honoring former Louisville Board of Education President, Victor H. Engelhard. 

Kentucky Street School (Old Engelhard School)

D.H. Ewing § Sons Creamery built the property in 1917 and remained in the building for several decades. The company arose three generations earlier when D.H. Ewing established a small dairy products trade. Its elegant exterior is one of the many fine buildings erected in Old Louisville during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Creamery is also historic because it represents a nation in the midst of transitioning from agrarian to urban (which included a growing female workforce) and the resultant need for the processing and transportation of milk from farms to people's homes. The business represents the heightened demand in urban communities for pasteurized milk and the coinciding need to revolutionize the production speed and efficiency to meet that demand. Indeed, milk production and consumption during the early twentieth century differed significantly from the much more agrarian United States of the early nineteenth century. In a world dominated by small towns and farms, most drank milk within hours of its production, limiting bacteria's proliferation. However, as the United States grew more urban by the early twentieth century, many milk consumers no longer lived near farms. Urbanization and the changing workforce culture changed milk habits, too. Many women worked, making breastfeeding nearly impossible. Also, enhanced trust in human ingenuity led some scientists and academics to praise cow milk over the more "primitive" breastfeeding method. Thus, an abundance of milk had to be transported and distributed throughout the nation's cities. However, as part of a growing consciousness of health and wellness during the early twentieth century, including food production and sanitation, health officials made people aware of research that pointed to unpasteurized milk as a leading cause of child sickness and mortality. For years, milk routinely sat for days in unrefrigerated storage, which led to microbial growth and consequent illnesses, especially among its biggest drinkers: children. Hence, businesses like D.H. Ewing quickly adapted to pasteurization and adhered to new cleaning standards. The plant, which had the capability of processing 5,000 gallons of milk per day when it opened, designed a modernized cold room and installed several machines to help with the bottle cleaning process, aided by abundant water drawn from the artesian well located in the plant's basement.In 1930, the company consolidated with the Gray-Von Allman Dairy Co. to become Ewing Von Allman Dairy. The structure transitioned into an office building in 1953 and today serves as a space for offices as well for the Spalding University School of Nursing.

As the nation grew increasingly urban around the turn of the twentieth century, the desire for pasteurized milk arose as people no longer lived near the source of their milk. D.H. Ewing started his milk operation in the late nineteenth century, and by 1917 his sons and he built the new plant that could process 5,000 gallons a day. The plant contained numerous machinery capable of cleaning bottles, keeping milk cold, and providing for the pasteurization of the milk. 

D.H. Ewing & Sons Creamery

The congregation dates back to 1816, with the establishment of Louisville's First Presbyterian Church. This original congregation gave birth to several different congregations over the years, and also absorbed the members of area churches. For example, a third of the Second Presbyterian Church chose to merge with this congregation when their church joined the Southern Assembly following the Civil War. This church was constructed in several phases beginning in 1909, and replaced a previous structure that was constructed at this location by a smaller congregation that merged with the congregation that became Central Presbyterian. Perhaps the highlight of the facility is the church's fully-restored 1930 E. M. Skinner Pipe Organ, which was made specifically for the Louisville congregation by Boston's Skinner Organ Company. 

Central Presbyterian Church

The Fourth Avenue Church, whose congregation dates back to its founding in 1878, constructed the Gothic Revival ecclesiastical chapel in two phases: 1888 and 1902. The church congregation and the church building's development coincided with significant growth for the Old Louisville area (then known as the Southern Extension), notably by wealthy residents who sought to move southward away from downtown Louisville. As such, an abundance of buildings emerged that exhibited elaborate architecture, including many churches that arose during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. William Dodd, Louisville's acclaimed architect, designed a host of buildings and churches, including the historic Fourth Avenue Church.Members of the Walnut Street Methodist Episcopal Church South and the Chestnut Street Episcopal Church came together in 1878 and established a congregation that eventually built The Fourth Avenue Church in 1902. The group initially purchased a lot at the corner of Third and St. Catherine (where the Walnut Street Baptist Church now stands) before selling that site and buying the land where the historic church now sits. The members built a chapel in 1888, which became part of the larger facility constructed fourteen years later in 1902.Architect William J. Dodd and engineer Arthur Cobb designed the historic church. Dodd came to Louisville in 1884 from Chicago and went on to build several homes and businesses in Louisville with his first business partner, Mason Maury. In 1893, millions witnessed his design of the Kentucky Exposition Building for the Great Columbia Exposition (World's Fair) in Chicago. The elaborate, ornate building utilized classic motifs and existed as part of the "Great White City" built for the Exposition. The experience proved to be a significant influence on Dodd when he returned to Louisville, notably when he parted ways with Maury in 1895 and partnered with Cobb.  In 1905 Dodd joined Kenneth McDonald, a well-known local and regional architect. The firm of McDonald and Dodd produced some of Louisville's finest buildings. Dodd left Louisville in 1913 and moved to Los Angeles, where he continued to work until he died in 1930. Still, he made his mark in Louisville as the chief architect for many historical buildings that still stand today, including the Fourth Avenue Church.

The Gothic Revival style Fourth Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church opened in 1888, with the rest of the facility completed in 1902.  The church served a congregation that organized in 1878, just as Old Louisville, or Southern Extension as it was known then,  grew increasingly popular with people of wealth looking to move away from downtown Louisville. The neighborhood is abounding in elaborate architecture  William Dodd, Louisville's acclaimed architect, designed a host of buildings and churches, including the historic Fourth Avenue Church.

Fourth Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church (Fourth Avenue United Methodist Church)

<div>Helen Lang established the Institute in 1987 and over the past 25 years, it has grown to become one of the premier Asian cultural centers in the central United States. The center changed their name to the Asia Institute in 1996 to better reflect the expanding mission of the organization to include all Asian cultures.&nbsp;</div><div> </div><div>The Institute offers a variety of program for area educators and reaches over 50,000 Louisville-area children each year. The Institute also works to promote partnerships among area businesses and political leaders. The Institute also operates the Teaching in Asia program and a variety of oral history programs that record and preserve the experience and perspective of area residents of Asian descent.&nbsp;</div>

Founded in 1987 as a cultural institution focusses on China, the Crane House now offers programs related to the history and culture of peoples throughout Asia. The center is part of the Kentucky Arts Council's efforts to bring educational opportunities to the city and region. Scholars and students work through the Crane House to reach nearby Asian communities and offer resources that help them share and preserve their history and cultural heritage.

Asia Institute Crane House

This historical society was established by a group of ten men in 1884 with the intention of preserving and sharing the history of Louisville and Kentucky, a mission that has since grown to include the surrounding Ohio Valley region. The group decided to name their new organization after Kentucky historian John Filson, author of the 1784 book, The Discovery, Settlement, and Present State of Kentucke. The organization operates an archive and gallery in an Old Louisville mansion that was completed in 1905 for local industrialist Edwin Hite Ferguson. The historic mansion served as a funeral home between the 1920s and 1984 when it was acquired by the Filson Historical Society. Today, the Society publishes a quarterly journal and also offers a variety of programs such as reading groups and lectures, as well as thematic tours and programs for families. The Filson also sponsors thematic conferences, such as a 2019 event dedicated to women's history in Kentucky and the Ohio Valley. Of special interest to historians who appreciate whiskey, the Filson offers a Bourbon Academy, a one-day educational program that explores the history of Kentucky's signature libation.

Landward House, erected in 1871, stands as one of Old Louisville's oldest homes, representative of the many grand houses that emerged as wealthy residents moved southward away from downtown Louisville during the late nineteenth century. The home faces Central Park, designed by famed city planner and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who also famously designed New York City's Central Park. His son, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., developed the Landward House's elaborate and expansive garden in 1929.  The home's first resident was Dr. Stuart Robinson, pastor for twenty-three years at Louisville's Second Presbyterian Church (1858 until 1881). The Robinson family owned the home until 1909, when Dr. Joseph B. Marvin purchased the property. Marvin, a practicing physician, also served as a faculty member at University of Louisville Medical School. Dr. Marvin's daughter, Minnie Norton (Marvin) Wheeler, proved to be the home's last resident when she died in 1964; the home serves as the home to a local law firm. In 1929, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., developed the elegant gardens around the property. His father, lauded landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, also designed many of the parks in Louisville, including Central Park located across from the Landward Home.

Built for Reverend Stuart Robinson of Louisville's Second Presbyterian Church, this brick Italianate mansion includes twenty rooms and six bathrooms. The home is located next to Central Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted who became the nation's most famous landscape architect. His son, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., also designed the garden for this home. The historic home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. 

Landward House

History of the House Theophile Conrad was born into the
wealthy family of Martin and Carolyn Conrad in Strasbourg, France, in 1832.
Martin, a glue manufacturer, moved to join his brothers in Louisville in 1846,
but Theophile stayed in Europe to complete his apprenticeship in a Paris
tannery. After a few years of traveling, Theophile, too, joined the family in
Louisville, working in his uncle's tannery. In 1857, he married Mary Anna
Krieger, and began a family and a tannery of his own. The Conrad, Fabel, and
Mooney Tannery, Conrad and Kamerer Glue Co., and Theophile's other business and
real estate interests (including Third National Bank), earned sufficient income
to allow the Conrads to build their opulent home in St. James Court beginning
in 1893, with construction completed two years later.



Designed by famed local architect
Arthur Loomis in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, Conrad's Castle boasted
not only intricate stone design and woodwork, parquet floors, archways and gargoyles,
and stained glass windows, but also indoor plumbing and electric lighting--luxuries
in its day. The Bedford limestone residence cost $35,000 to construct. In 1905,
only ten years after moving into the house, Theophile died of a heart attack at
age 73, leaving everything to his wife and their four daughters. Mary Conrad
sold the house in 1908 to family friends, the Caldwells, who had previously rented
the Conrads' home on 2nd Street upon completion of the "Castle".



William Caldwell (1858-1938), an
upstate New York engineer and graduate of Cornell and Northwestern
Universities, had moved to Louisville with his wife, Elaine Ray Caldwell, in
1887 to rebuild the Hermitage Distillery. He patented a process for building
wooden and steel tanks and established the W.E. Caldwell Company (still in
operation today as the Caldwell Tank Company, its best known creations being
the Slugger Bat at Louisville's Slugger Museum, the giant bottle topping the
Brown-Forman Distillery, and the Mickey Mouse ears at Disney World). The Caldwells
bought the house fully furnished, but hired interior designers from New York
and the local firm Bittners, making changes and additions to the furnishings.



The Caldwell children, Walter (b. 1885)
and Grace (b. 1889), were already grown by the time the family moved into the
Conrad House, but the family lived together there. Grace had been deafened by
Scarlet Fever during her childhood, and lost her husband to pneumonia in 1924.
Walter, who continued his father's business, married Gertrude Brownell and had
two children, Virginia and Gordon. Walter and Grace's mother, Elaine, died just
a year after Grace's husband, and William remarried five years later. After his
death in 1938, Walter and Grace sold the house to Vesta Lasley in 1944, when it
became a boarding house for female students and faculty of the University of
Louisville. Four years later, the Presbyterian Church either bought or were
given the building (sources differ) in order to establish the Rose Anna Hughes
Home for Widows.



When the Home outgrew the Castle in
the 1980s, St. James Court residents purchased the house and established a non-profit
historic foundation &nbsp;to maintain the home
as a museum. The Conrad-Caldwell House was restored to the Edwardian period,
with some of the original pieces still in place. Along with tours offered five
days a week, the house museum offers special events, lectures, musical
performances, and exhibits such as Louisville’s Industrial Expositions 1872-1887, &nbsp;featuring The Louisville Industrial
Exposition of
1872-1882 and the The Southern Exposition of 1883-1887.

Also known as "Conrad's Castle," the Conrad-Caldwell House is one of the most stunning of Old Louisville's Victorian residences. The Richarsonian Romanesque design is considered the masterpiece of Arthur Loomis, a renowned local architect who worked at the firm of Clarke & Loomis. The house was built for Theophilus Conrad, a Frenchman (Alsace) who made his fortune in the tanning business, bought by the Caldwell family in 1907, and converted into the Rose Anna Hughes Presbyterian Home for forty years. Since 1897, the house has been a museum, under the care of the St. James Court Historic Foundation. In addition to offering tours five days a week, the Conrad-Caldwell House Museum hosts events, lectures, musical performances, and special exhibits.

The Conrad-Caldwell House Museum

In 1839, Louisville enjoyed the distinction as the fifth U.S. city to enjoy gas lights on its streets, provided by what became Louisville Gas and Electric Service (LG&amp;E). In time, the city and LG&amp;E became a leader in providing gas fuel, even operating its own mines. LG&amp;E added electrical production to its services by the 1910s, helping the company grow substantially. The historic complex of buildings, notably the one-story, brick Service Station Building erected in 1924, indicates increased gas and electric service industry growth and the concurrent increase in businesses requiring gas and electric service by the turn of the twentieth century. The Service Station exists as part of a complex of buildings constructed during the late nineteenth century into the early twentieth century (most of which have been demolished). The property contributed to the gas and electric industry until 1984-85 when LG&amp;E moved its operations to a new site. City officials pushed for a contractual arrangement with private investors to establish the Louisville Gas &amp; Water Company. Although incorporation of the company occurred in 1913, its roots date back to 1838 when the state of Kentucky authorized the company to produce gas used for lighting streets, businesses, and homes. On Christmas Day, 1839, Louisville became the fifth U.S. city and the first west of the Allegheny Mountains to have gaslights on its streets; more than 460 lights illuminated the city by 1849, which grew to 925 lights by 1859..In 1842, Louisville Gas &amp; Water Company became Louisville Gas Company and mainly focused on streetlights until the 1880s, when they began distributing gas to homes for cooking and heating. However, even before they started supplying homes with gas, during the 1870s, Louisville Gas recognized the need to embrace the newest form of power: electricity. From 1883 to 1887, Louisville's Southern Exposition, a five-year series of world fairs located in today's Old Louisville and attracted more than 750,000 people featured the latest industrial, mercantile, and technological innovations. The highlight included 4,600 light bulbs and forty miles of wiring -- the nation's largest display -- by former Louisville resident Thomas Edison. Edison's demonstration showed people that electricity could be used safely and cleanly and convinced Louisville's Mayor to install arc lights at the city's river wharf in 1884. It also convinced businesses such as Louisville Gas to delve into electricity production. (Although, it did not take much time to realize that arc lighting proved far more dangerous than Edison's incandescent light bulbs, which eventually allowed the new source of power to proliferate.) More than ten electric companies emerged by the 1890s. In fact, in 1890, Louisville Gas purchased the Louisville Electric Company and almost immediately replaced gas lights on the streets with electric lights; every gas light had been replaced by 1900. And by 1913, engineer H.M. Byllesby of H. M. Bylesbee and Company of Chicago, who oversaw the installation of Edison's electric system at Louisville's Southern Exposition, consolidated the city's many gas and electric utilities to form LG&amp;E. Bylesbee managed LG&amp;E under the umbrella of the Standard Gas and Electric System, which served 5.5 million customers in 19 states. In 1923, LG &amp; E constructed a dam and hydroelectric plant capable of producing 80,000 kilowatts upon opening in 1927. Though its electrical production grew, the company still managed a sizable gas operation, supported by the city's willingness to construct pipelines and infastrcutre. Substantial coal industry growth, notably during World War I, resulted in LG&amp;E entering the mining business; the company owned three mines. All told, the company helped light, heat, and power hundreds of thousands of businesses and residences in the Louisville area. In the 1920s, the H.M. Byllesby Company, owner of the LG&amp;E, constructed the historic plant property, with the Service Station Building as its focal point. The facility served the Louisville Gas &amp; Electric Company for well over sixty years, leaving for a new facility in 1985. By 1928, the LG&amp;E site was home to the LG &amp; E Distribution And Stores Department comprised of several buildings with the Service Station serving as the heart of the company's energy delivery system. Today, the Service Station (current home to North Lime Donuts) and the larger, newly-renovated Edison Center survive as reminders of the evolution of gas and electrical power and its use by homes, industries, and for civic purposes such as street lights.

The Louisville Gas & Electric Company Service Station existed as part of a large complex of buildings that served Louisville Gas & Electric from the 1920s to the 1980s. Although the company formally incorporated in 1914, its roots date back to the 1830s as Louisville Gas & Water. For more than 145 years, the company provided gas to Louisville and helped the city in 1839 become only the fifth U.S. city to enjoy gas lights on its streets. By World War I, the company owned and operated its own mines to help obtain coal for its gas production. The company added electricity production around the turn of the century, inspired in part by Thomas Edison's display at the Louisville's Southern Exposition during the 1880s, held in today's Old Louisville. The Service Station is located near the recently-renovated Edison Center. Together, they stand as monuments to the company and its place within Louisville's urban history and the role gas and electricity played in that story. 

Louisville Gas and Electric Company Service Station Complex

Simmons College of Kentucky has a tradition of religious studies and vocational education, but it also has offered a variety of liberal arts courses during its early years- a tradition that the current leadership of the college is working to rebuild. Kentucky Normal Theological Institute and was founded in 1879 after years of planning when Reverend Elijah P. Marrs approached the Trustees of the Convention of Colored Baptists Churches in Kentucky to form a higher learning institute to train men and women of color. Marrs served as the first president for a short time. Dr. William J. Simmons was appointed the 2nd president to the school. Dr. Simmons added more areas of study for students in the fields of medicine, law, music, business, and theology. Dr. Simmons also introduced and started the sports program in the school for competitive competition against other institutions. Dr. Simmons made such an impact on the institution that it became known as Simmons University.   William J. Simmons was born June 29th, 1849 into slavery in South Carolina. Simmons served with the Union Army during the Civil War and later went on to graduate from Howard University in 1873. Dr. Simmons will be best known for his book, Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive, and Rising. A brief biography of 177 prominent African American males in the United States.    The college grew over the years but faced difficult years during the 1970s and 1980s and returned to the original vision of the college as a place for training ministers. The college has advanced an ambitious plan to return to its later goal of being a complete institution of higher learning. On April 13th, 2015 the college was named by the United States Department of Education as the 107th Historically Black College and University (HBCU). This status will allow Simmons College eligible for federal grant and funding opportunities. The following year, the College returned to its former home and this historic building continues to serve as the center of the small campus.

Founded in 1879 by African Americans, including former slaves, Simmons College is the oldest African American College in the state of Kentucky. Theis building once again serves as the heart of the small campus following the university's reacquisition of their former campus. The college was created through the efforts of the Colored Baptist Church in Kentucky for the purpose of training ministers. The college was shaped in its early years by the Reverend Dr. William J. Simmons, and its name was changed from Kentucky Normal Theological Institute to Simmons Univesity in 1918. The college grew and offered a variety of degrees and even offered programs in medicine thanks to a partnership with area colleges. In 1930, the college was known as Louisville Municipal College. The institution struggled in the Great Depression and lost students following the desegregation of Kentucky colleges and universities. The college discontinued many of its non-religious courses and degree programs and in 1982, the institution changed its name to Simmons Bible College to reflect its status as a small school that only provided training for future ministers. The institution has experienced a regrowth in recent years as it expanded its liberal arts and general education courses. Today, Simmons College of Kentucky offers the Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Theology Degrees. 

Simmons College of Kentucky Main Building

The furniture manufacturing facility for Harig, Koop, and Company and then the Columbia Mantel Company opened in 1871 and remained in use for more than a century, Louisville's longest-serving furniture factory. Its presence serves as a physical reminder of the thriving furniture industry that first emerged during the 1860s and grew highly successful by the 1920 and 1930s when Louisville became a regional furniture manufacturing hub. Louisville's first directory in 1832 listed less than twenty cabinetmakers and five chair makers, all small operations run by one or two artisans who built things by hand. By the late 1850s, larger operations emerged as mechanization began to assist furniture makers. Louisville's location along the Ohio River made it ideal for taking advantage of some mass production, which could be shipped to other markets. As such, by 1860, Louisville and vicinity supported fourteen furniture and cabinet operations employing 194 employees, and then by the 1870s and 1880s, larger-scale furniture production companies had ostensibly put small, hand-crafted artisans out of business (helped further by investors bringing the railroad into Louisville). Indeed, by 1880, at least eight substantial, multi-story, brick industrial complexes housed furniture manufacturing operations, including the Harig, Koop, and Company building, who collectively employed 727 men, fourteen women, and seventy-two children. Manufacturers of furniture and chairs, the Harig, Koop, and Company organized in 1868 when two separate firms established by Frederick Harig and August Koop merged. The two men had been in the furniture business since before the start of the Civil War. They opened a factory in 1868, but it burnt down in 1871; hence the new building constructed in 1871 replaced its first facility. Harig, Koop, and Company used the building until the Columbia Mantel Company took over the building in 1905. The furniture industry in Louisville grew slowly from the 1880s until the late 1910s, and then boomed again between 1909 and 1939, notably during the Interwar Period. Columbia Mantel Company's successful wood mantel-making operation enjoyed an extensive local and national market and a small international demand. After the turn of the century, homeowners increasingly preferred wooden mantels to cast-iron, as had been popular during the nineteenth century. By 1913, the company also enjoyed success manufacturing furniture. By 1939, Louisville supported sixteen household furniture factories employing 2,528 workers and generating $8,191,229 in product value, thus ranking furniture manufacturing as the fifth or sixth biggest industry in the city. But, during World War II, the Columbia Mantel Company halted its mantel production and significantly reduced its furniture production, and instead produced several war-related items for the government. When the war ended, the company continued its pre-war operations but eventually ceased making mantels in 1958, focusing on furniture until it closed in 1986. Today, the building stands as a monument to two successful furniture operations and an entire industry. In a city known for making wooden bats -- Louisville Sluggers, there also existed a flourishing furniture industry. Like many cities of the region, it first benefited from its position along the river, which enticed speculators to invest in businesses such as furniture operations. The rivers allowed for access to outside markets, helping the industries grow and entice later speculators to invest in railways before the automobile eventually arrived. Though the wars and economic downfalls came and went, the industry remained solid through the late twentieth century, demonstrated by the historic facility that served Harig, Koop, and Company and then the Columbia Mantel Company from 1871 to 1986.

The Harig, Koop, and Company (and Columbia Mantel Company) opened in 1871 and served the neighborhood as a furniture factory until 1986. Louisville's furniture industry dates back to the 1830s when local artisans worked out of their homes and small workplaces providing handmade items to locals. By the 1870s, mechanization, Louisville's river location, and nearby wood resources enticed investors and entrepreneurs to develop furniture firms, which evolved into one of the city's leading industries for decades. The historic building serves as a reminder of the flourishing furniture industry as well as the two companies that served as its only two occupants for more than a century.  

The Harig, Koop, and Company - Columbia Mantel Company Building

The Louisville Fire Station No. 7, built in 1871, claimed to be the nation's oldest continuously used fire station until it closed in 2009 due to budget cuts. Similar to many of the architectural relics in Old Louisville, the building enjoys a Victorian design.From the late eighteenth century through the 1830s, Louisville's fire fighting system evolved from water brigades to horse-powered equipment and hand pumps. However, the "Great Fire of 1840" followed by several mismanaged firefights during the 1850s showed the inadequacy of hand pumps, which ushered in the era of steam-powered pumpers. A Cincinnati firm in 1858 delivered "The Eclipse", Louisville's first steam engine. Its success inspired Louisville's General Council to organize the Steam Engine Fire Department of Louisville, which opened during the summer of 1858 with three steam engine stations.  Several fires during the Civil War, sometimes due to "southern sympathizers," pushed the city to update its alarm and response system. In May 1865, Louisville installed its first telegraphic fire alarm system, which replaced the former communication that relied on a chain reaction of bells. The constant improvement of the fire system allowed fire chiefs to request more money for more stations and equipment, and by 1871, the Steam Engine Company #7 served as one of several new stations built in Louisville (including what is now Old Louisville). Although the history of Steam Engine Company #7 is largely tied to the broader Louisville Fire Department history, its architecture speaks to the history of Old Louisville. The section of Louisville, south of Broadway, emerged similar to a suburb where those with financial means moved away from downtown Louisville to more attractive properties. Numerous homes in what is now Old Louisville enjoy elaborate and elegant architecture. Steam Engine Company #7 resembles that trend as it enjoys a Victorian design with ornate detailing, attractive windows with over-sized voussoirs and rusticated quoins, and an extended cornice with modillions and brackets caps.

Constructed in 1871, this Louisville fire station demonstrates the growth of the city and the importance of fire protection in the 19th century, as well as the city's effort to expand and update its alarm systems. The firehouse remained in operation for 138 continuous years until budget cuts during the "Great Recession" forced its closure in 2009. The two stylish windows and Victorian design speak to the building's place within Old Louisville, a neighborhood that featured elegantly designed homes and businesses. The residents of Old Louisville had wealth and political power in the late 19th century, and the public buildings and services constructed in that era reflected this dynamic. 

Louisville Steam Engine Company No. 7 Fire Station

Murray Atkins Walls was born in Indianapolis on December 22, 1899. She spent her childhood and high school years in Indiana and attended Butler University. After she graduated, Atkins&nbsp;moved to New York City where she received a master's degree from Columbia University.&nbsp;After graduating from Columbia, Walls moved back to Indianapolis but settled in Louisville after marrying John H. Walls,&nbsp;one of the first presidents of the Louisville chapter of the NAACP.&nbsp; In the late 1930s, Murray Atkins Walls worked as a&nbsp;federal housing surveyor which began her fight for desegregation in Louisville. In the 1940s she began attending sit-ins at "whites only" libraries and continued to fight for desegregation until all branches were open to all regardless of color by&nbsp;1952.&nbsp;Walls was appointed to the Kentucky Board of Education by the governor in the early 1950s. She used this position to fight for more equal funding and opportunities for Black students and faculty.&nbsp; Walls's efforts to desegregate the Louisville Girl Scouts began in the 1940s. She was frustrated that camp began for African American girls right after school let out for the summer as this practice allowed little time for families to prepare for&nbsp;camp. In 1954, she and others pushed the Cardinal Girl Scouts to consider integration.&nbsp; "We must help our young people to hold with respect the dignity of human beings be they white or brown or Black or yellow," Brown declared.&nbsp;"They cannot have it so long as we set one group off to themselves as untouchables, unworthy of belonging to the whole group" (Higgins 9-10). Murray Atkins Walls's inspiring words eventually helped convince the leaders of the Louisville Girl Scouts to officially integrate in 1956. For her efforts, she awarded with the Thanks Badge in 1962--the highest honor one can receive from the Girl Scouts.&nbsp; Murray died in 1993 and eleven years later, the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana&nbsp;dedicated this marker&nbsp;in front of the Louisville Public Library to honor the woman who challenged the schools, libraries, and Girl Scouts to serve all residents equally.&nbsp;

Erected in 2004, this marker honors the achievements of civil rights pioneer, Murray Atkins Walls. Walls challenged segregation in many public settings, including the city's libraries and schools. She also fought for equality and racial understanding within the Girl Scouts. Walls ended the practice of segregation at the local camp in 1956 and became the first woman of color on the Kentucky State Board of Education. The monument was dedicated by the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana and reflect her leadership as the first woman of color to join the local board of the Girl Scouts. 

Murray Atkins Walls Historical Marker, Louisville 

Establishment of the
LFPL

A group of five Louisvillians
including Mann Butler founded the Louisville Library Company, based around a
small collection within the old Court House, in 1816. It was the first of
several underfunded attempts throughout the nineteenth century to provide the
city of Louisville (or at least, those citizens able and willing to pay for its
services) with a library. The lottery-funded Public Library of Kentucky was the
first to attempt a free, public library in Louisville in 1871. Their work culminated in the purchase of Weisinger Hall (previously
Kaufman's Department Store), where the citizen-organized Polytechnic Society of
Kentucky funded the small collection and kept the vision of a library alive
until the turn of the century. The Polytechnic Society and Public Library of Kentucky
merged in spite of controversy over offering free services, forming the Louisville
Free Public Library in 1902. The merger provided a temporary home and 65,000
volumes for the fledgling library. With a grant from philanthropist Andrew
Carnegie acquired through the efforts of the Scottish Society, the library's
main site began construction in 1905 and officially opened in 1908, after
delays due to construction worker strikes. As the library prospered, over
thirty branches were added (though some later closed), including the historic
Western Colored Branch (today's Western Branch), which was the first Carnegie-housed
library in the U.S. built exclusively for African Americans. 
History of the Main
Branch at York Street

The Main Branch of the LFPL was
designed in the Beaux-Arts style by New York firm Pilcher and Tachau (the
latter a native Louisvillian), and is considered one of the finest examples of
Beaux-Arts architecture in the state of Kentucky. The Delivery Room
(present-day foyer) is a two-story Louis XVI style space with stained-glass,
barrel-vaulted ceiling, white marble columnns, neo-Renaissance murals by
Theodore L. Wilberg, and two staircases with bronze and iron railings. Its open
stack room was an innovation at the time, and a popular feature upon the
building's formal opening in 1908.



In addition to books, the LFPL contained
a natural history museum, an armory including Daniel Boone's rifle along with
Medieval weapons and armor, collections of American Indian weapons and beads,
and paintings, drawings, etchings, bronze engravings, and statues. In addition,
it was the first local home for Louisville's Egyptian mummy, Then-Hotep (now, along
with the natural history collection, at the Kentucky Science Center). The
library's thirteen-foot bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln, sculpted by George
Grey Barnard and donated (along with fifteen paintings) by Mr. and Mrs. Isaac W. Bernheim, was dedicated on
October 26, 1922, and attended by Lincoln biographer and muckraker Ida B.
Tarbell. It is a long-held tradition that rubbing Lincoln's toe is good luck. 

Along with 70% of Louisville, the
library and its collections were submerged during the Great Flood of 1937, with
the high water reaching thirty feet above flood level. Collections of rare
bird's eggs were crushed, artwork endangered, taxidermy specimens and moth and
butterfly collections damaged, and Then-Hotep the mummy all but destroyed. She
was saved through the efforts of Lucien Beckner, director of the institution
which is known today as the Kentucky Science Center (then the Museum of History
and Science), who used equipment at the 3rd Street Louisville Gas &amp;
Electric Company to dry the mummy out. The building itself suffered damage as
the books expanded as they took on water and broke the supports holding up the shelves
and the ceilings, and naturally many of the books themselves were damaged or
destroyed.&nbsp;

Nonetheless, the library thrived,
becoming the first United States library with its own FM-radio station, WFPL,
in 1950. A few years later, a second station, WFPK, was added. In 1969, an
110,000-square-foot modern concrete-and-glass addition was constructed at the
rear of the building, allowing more space for programs and departments
including the Junior Art Gallery in the Children's Library, the Audio-Visual
Department, the Kentucky Division, rare books and special collections, the
Foundation Center, the Talking Book Library for the visually impaired, and a
U.S. Government document depository. Along with the addition, a new sculpture
of Benjamin Franklin, sculpted by Felix de Weldon (sculptor of the Iwo Jima U.S.
Marine Corp War Memorial), was added to the grounds.



In 2009, another major Louisville
flood devastated the library's main floor as seven inches of rain fell in
seventy minutes. When the building was repaired following the disaster,
measures were taken to prevent future flood damage, including the addition of
holding cisterns for excess water.

The Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL) is an example of public services and innovation that started in the beginning of the 20th century. Opened in 1908, it is the largest public library system in Kentucky. Its main and original building sits at 301 York Street, though other historically significant branches include the "Western Colored Branch" at 604 South Tenth Street--the first Carnegie-housed library built entirely for African-Americans. Today the library includes 17 branches aside from the main library, and tours can be set up at the main site or any of the other branches upon request. 

Louisville Free Public Library 

Calvary Episcopal Church, designed in the Victorian Gothic Revival style, exists as one of many historic churches erected during the nineteenth century on 4th Street and throughout the Old Louisville area. One of the nation's only two cut stone spires caps the south tower, which rises 250 feet in height. The church emerged at a time when Louisville's "Southern Extension" (now referred to as Old Louisville) came into existence as one of Louisville's first suburbs, mainly catering to the wealthy who chose to move away from the congested downtown region. Several grand homes arose in the 1870s and 1880s; a boom in church construction coincided with that housing boom. The Episcopal Church in Kentucky evolved slowly, starting in 1775 with a service provided by Rev. Lytle (or Lisle), a Church of England clergyman. Occasional services occurred from time to time, but formal efforts to organize the Episcopal Church transpired decades later, notably in 1829 with the establishment of The Diocese of Kentucky and three parishes. In 1831, Louisville supported sixty-one communicants. In 1860, the members of the congregation of Sehon Methodist Church seceded from the Methodist Church. They were accepted into the Episcopal Church and continued to meet in the Sehon Chapel until 1872 when the Reverend W. H. Platt inspired the vestry to undertake a new, larger church at a new location at Fourth Street between York and Breckinridge. The church commissioned W. H. Redin, a prominent local architect with a reputation for ecclesiastical designs. Like most of the buildings constructed in Old Louisville during the late nineteenth century, it enjoyed fine architecture with a Victorian design. The architect had to design the church in two phases, the first involving construction of the sanctuary and part of the nave and the second phase concerning the remainder of the nave and the main West front. The first phase commenced in 1872 and finished in 1876. However, the McDonald Brothers completed the second phase much later (1885 - 1889) and have their name on the church's cornerstone, but the group followed Redin's designs.

Built in two stages, from 1872-1876 and 1885-1889, the Calvary Church emerged at a time when numerous wealthy Louisville residents moved southward away from downtown Louisville into what is now Old Louisville. The abundance of historic Victorian-style buildings speak to the affluence, and the Calvary Church is no exception. Among its many fine features, the church possesses one of the country's only two cut stone spires caps, which soars 250 feet, which would have towered above most structures in the neighborhood at that time. 

 Calvary Episcopal Church,

The Tompkins-Buchanan House, hidden between two wings of the Spalding College administration building, is one of the few surviving works of Louisville's acclaimed architect, Henry Whitestone (1819-93). The mansion's construction and its remodeling reflected the patronage of two prominent Louisville citizens, Joseph T. Tompkins, a wholesale dry-goods merchant, and George Buchanan, a distiller. Their careers speak to the post-Civil War affluence enjoyed by many in Louisville, many of whom moved south of Broadway to an area now known as Old Louisville. After later belonging to members of the prominent Rankin and Shuttleworth families, the house became part of Spalding (then Nazareth) College. Joseph T. Tompkins, born in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1820, moved to Louisville at the age of seventeen and took a job as a dry-goods store clerk. Later, he entered the firm of James Low &amp; Company and then established a private wholesale business with his brother, Samuel Tompkins of New York. Outside of a minor setback when the brothers speculated on gold mining during the mid-nineteenth, the brothers became financially successful. During the 1870s, the southern portion of Fourth Street evolved into a residential neighborhood, contributing to the push southward away from downtown Louisville — a trend noted in many U.S cities during the evolving Gilded Age. The area south of Broadway catered to those with at least modest, if not substantial, wealth. Hence, the area today enjoys numerous historic buildings with elegant architectural detailing. After Joseph Tompkins married Sarah Sawtell, a renowned reverend's daughter, he hired Henry Whitestone, Louisville's most prominent architect during the mid-nineteenth century, to design the grand home in Louisville's southern neighborhood now known as Old Louisville.  Whitestone served as Louisville's most acclaimed architect during the middle part of the nineteenth century. Like the vast majority of his designs, the Tompkins home evoked the palazzi of Renaissance Italian merchant princes in proportions, details, and associations (later renovations removed some of those features.) George C. Buchanan, a distiller, purchased the property in 1880, three years after Tompkins died. He had the interior thoroughly redecorated, and he altered parts of the exterior. Buchanan had the home filled with the most fashionable furniture, detailing, and decor of his day, exhibiting his wealth and status. However, a Courier-Journal article in 1884 shows that his wealth was short-lived; the title of the article was: "The Beautiful Home of the Bankrupt Whiskey King Despoiled by the Auctioneer." In 1886, Rhodes B. Rankin and James Shuttleworth obtained the property; Rankin bought out Shuttleworth's portion in 1905. In 1918, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth bought the property and proceeded to open Nazareth College two years later, now known as Spalding College. The college has added structures, such as the mansion's front wing, but the core of the well-maintained Tompkins-Buchanan House has survived. The combination of the original design plus the alterations made, along with its place in Old Louisville, speak to the many histories attached to the building, including the development of Old Louisville as a place for successful middle-class businesspersons, Tompkins and dry goods stores, Kentucky distilling, and the lauded architect, Henry Whitestone.

Constructed in 1871 by acclaimed Louisville architect Henry Whitestone, this historic mansion represents the move by some of the city's wealthiest residents away from downtown Louisville in the late 19th century. The arrival of wealthy families and the grand homes they constructed spurred the development of what is now known as Old Louisville. Whitestone built the mansion for Joseph T. Tompkins, a successful dry goods merchant who lived in the home with his wife for six years before his death. George Buchanan, a Kentucky distiller, bought the mansion in 1880 and subsequently redecorated it with exceptionally lavish furniture. The distiller went bankrupt four years later. In 1918, the Sisters of the Nazarene purchased the mansion and used it as the home of Nazarene College, later known as Spalding University. The historic mansion remains in use on the Spalding University campus. 

Tompkins-Buchanan House (Spalding University)

Built in 1910, the First Christian Church, designed by Louisville's McDonald and Dodd, stands out as an imposing Beaux-Arts structure, which differs from the plethora of historic, nineteenth-century, Victorian buildings in Old Louisville.The First Christian Church of Louisville received its charger in 1846, making it the oldest congregation of the Disciples of Christ in Kentucky; they split from the Baptist Disciples of Christ in 1833. The First Christian congregation of Louisville worshiped first in a stone church built around the time of the Civil War. The property's value skyrocketed during the late nineteenth century, so the congregation sold the land to a realty company, who consequently tore down the church and erected a commercial building — The Starks Building, designed by the famed D.H. Bunham and Company — on the site of the original church. With a sizable profit garnered from the sale, the church commissioned Kenneth McDonald and William J. Dodd to build the now-historic First Christian Church. The placement of the stained glass windows in the banquet hall resembled the design of the 1860s stone chapel, but the church design mainly speaks to the shift in architectural trends from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Whereas most of the historical buildings in Old Louisville are Victorian style, erected mainly during the late nineteenth century, the First Christian Church enjoys a Beaux Arts design as architects began drawing on classical forms. First Christian Church's congregation decreased in size throughout the twentieth century. By the 1970s, the church moved to a suburban location. The Lampton Baptist congregation purchased the historic structure after being displaced due to the University of Louisville Medical School's expansion. They gained praise for the restoration work they accomplished, thus allowing the building to survive. Not to be outdone, Immanuel Baptist Church purchased the building in 2015 and subsequently began renovating the historic church in May 2016. In short, the congregation emerged in Louisville's "Southern Extenstion," during the 1860s, a bit before the area saw an influx of wealthy residents move into the area. Still, the neighborhood's growth eventually led to a rise in commercial construction, which allowed the church to sell its original land for a high price. The historical church serves as a lasting example of both the church's and area's growth. But, because it was built in 1910, it indeed differs from the multitude of Victorian structures as it enjoys a classic-inspired Beaux Arts design complete with imposing columns.

The imposing, historic church enjoys a Beaux Arts design, drawing on classical structures, which resembles the architectural trend of the early twentieth century. The building differs from the many historic buildings in Old Louisville, most of which are Victorian-designed and emerged during the late nineteenth century. However, the congregation does date back to the Civil War era, having built its original church during the 1860s. As the area grew, its property value skyrocketed. The church sold its original land to developers who built the historic Stark building on the property. As a result, the First Christian Church could afford to build a new, impressive structure. Renovations during the 1970s and 1980s, along with recent work by its current occupant, Immanuel Baptist Church, has allowed the building to survive into the twenty-first century. 

First Christian Church (Immanuel Baptist Church)

Presentation Academy, a college-preparatory school established for women in 1831, was created by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and led by Mother Catherine Spalding during its formative years. The academy remains the longest continually-operating school in the city. In 2009, the school completed the construction of a new facility for the arts and athletics, a $5 million addition.  

Presentation Academy

The three-story, u-shaped Thierman Apartments (circa 1913) was completed toward the tail end of an era where many wealthy residents called "Old Louisville" home; Old Louisville was akin to a suburb of Louisville, known as the Southern Extension. While construction of grand homes and mansions occurred, there also existed apartment construction. The Thierman Apartments exemplify early twentieth-century architecture, notably the "Arts-and crafts"' movement that stressed simplicity, showcasing the beauty of materials, and relying on nature for inspiration. Its U-shape allows for a central courtyard, reminiscent of many Progressive-era ideas that sought to replace the old congested urban designs with ones that allowed residents to access fresh air. Additionally, the plan also provided more windows (more natural light) and included balconies; designers and housing reform advocates deemed access to air and light vital to one's health. But, the ornate details also note that the apartments also included features that catered to the middle-class, a sign of a trend where those with means began to accept apartment living as an acceptable, if not favored, choice of urban and suburban living.The rise in construction of multiple-family residences slowly grew during the 1910s, eventually turning into a boom during the 1920s; an average of 226,000 multiple-family dwelling units arose each year from 1924-1928. For progressives, a move to rid urban areas of slums and replace them with apartments that offered access to air and light, and cross ventilation through open windows, was paramount to healthier people and society. For those with financial means, apartments often served as a cross between a residence and a hotel, with copious amenities. The seeds of the 1920s boom were laid during the 1910s when the Thierman Apartments emerged. The Thierman Apartment building sits on a raised stone foundation and has an exterior consisting of orange-glazed bricks. Rising three stories, the U-shape allows for a courtyard that, along with the extra windows and balconies, allowed residents plenty of access to natural light and air, a fundamental aspect of the housing reform movements of the early twentieth century. Meanwhile, the ornate railings and exterior features speak to Old Louisville's reputation as a neighborhood dominated by beautifully-designed buildings, notably Romanesque, Queen Anne, and Italianate styles. The elegant details also point to the building's purpose as an apartment complex for the middle class. So, while it followed many of the Progressive-era principles rooted in reforming urban communities -- ridding them of "slums," the apartments also demonstrate a trend in middle- and upper-class residents choosing apartments as they became better built and designed, often catering to those with various levels of wealth. In fact, until the early 1900s, many people, including government officials, connected apartment living to crime or at least deemed apartment living as enjoying less social status than single-dwelling homes. Thus, to see an apartment with elegant details notes how the acceptance of apartment living for those with financial means coincided with designers creating living spaces suitable for their social "status."To view the Thierman Apartments today is to see several trends during the 1910s. The apartment building represents the architectural designs that matched the financial and social status of Old Louisville during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, as well as trends in apartment designs tied to both Progressive-Era and middle-class ideals.

Louisville's Thierman Apartments were constructed in 1913, a time when developers were dedicating more thought to the construction of units for middle-class city-dwellers that might be referred to as "luxury" apartments today. Progressives and housing reform advocates pushed for changes in multi-family dwellings including allowing for more natural light and air, from extra windows and courtyards to balconies. As well, the middle-class, including its most wealthy, began accepting apartment living as an acceptable form of living, partly because apartment complexes included features that satisfied their desires and matched their perceived social status. While the Thierman Apartments were not known to have a ton of amenities, its ornate designs coupled with the Progressive reforms speak to its purpose as apartment complex catering to those with financial means. 

Thierman Apartments

Congregation Formation and Reform Adath Israel, the oldest Jewish congregation in the five-state region around Kentucky, was officially chartered as the K.K. Adas Israel traditional synagogue on January 13, 1843. The city may have been home to Jewish citizens and landowners as early as the late 1700s, and certainly by the early nineteenth century, but it was in the 1830s that Jewish institutions began to appear, including the Israelite Benevolent Society, along with official gatherings for worship. Most of Louisville's early Jewish residents came from German states (especially Posen, a province of Prussia), and the official language of the synagogue was German until the 1860s&nbsp;when English services were introduced. At first, Adath Israel met in rented rooms on Main, near Brook Street. In 1849, the congregation erected a two-story building on 4th near Walnut (present-day Muhammad Ali Boulevard), but it was destroyed by fire in 1866. Two years later, construction was completed on a new temple at 6th and Broadway. In addition to its religious functions, the synagogue also served as a center for secular community work and charity. Visits from Dr. Isaac M. Wise (of Cincinnati) convinced the congregation to join the Reform Judaism Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1873, making Adath Israel the second largest Reform temple. Rabbi Adolph Moses, a medical doctor from Alabama who had attended Louisville College, added a Sabbath School during his tenure from 1881-1902. A new congregation, Brith Sholom, was established by a fresh generation of German Jewish immigrants in 1880. Traditional services, with Reform overtones, were held in their native German at a temple at 1st and Walnut (now Muhammad Ali). In 1903, Brith Sholom sold their first temple to Congregation Anshei Sfrard and moved to a new location at 2nd and College Streets. The congregation officially joined the Reform movement in 1920, and in 1949 relocated to Cowling and Maryland Streets.Twentieth Century TempleJust after the turn of the century, the Adath Israel Sisterhood was established, followed by the construction of a new temple for the congregation at 834 South Third Street from 1905-1906. The National Register of Historic Places nomination form attributes the building design to W.J. Dodd (1862-1930), but&nbsp;Lee Shai Weissbach's more comprehensive book,&nbsp;The Synagogues of Kentucky: Architecture and History, attributes the design to&nbsp;&nbsp;Louisville architectural firm McDonald and Sheblessy.&nbsp;&nbsp;With minimal ornamentation except for Classical motifs on the capitals and arches, the Temple is a modified Greek cross plan constructed of Bedford, Indiana limestone. A brick section behind the sanctuary held an auditorium, library, religious school, and the rabbi's study.As members of the congregation moved to homes further from downtown Louisville, toward the East End, during the mid-twentieth century, land was purchased for a <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://theclio.com/web/entry?id=34943">new temple off Brownsboro Road</a>, which also holds archives and exhibits on local and national Reform Jewish history. During its construction, in 1977, Adath Israel and Brith Sholom joined to form one congregation&nbsp;and moved into their new synagogue in 1980. Today, the Temple on 3rd Street is home to the Pentecostal church Greater Bethel Temple of the Apostolic Faith.

The Temple at 834 South 3rd Street, now a Pentecostal church, was home to Louisville's Adath Israel congregation from 1905-1980. Adath Israel, founded by German/Prussian Jews in 1843, is the oldest Jewish congregation in Kentucky and the five-state region surrounding it. It was also one of the earliest--and second largest--Jewish Reform congregations. The Greek Ionic style Temple was designed by the Louisville architectural firm McDonald and Sheblessy. The building served Adath Israel until 1980, when the Brith Sholom and Adath Israel congregations merged and moved to a new synagogue on the East End. 

Temple Adath Israel (Greater Bethel Temple of the Apostolic Faith)

The Filson Club building served the Filson Historical Society from 1929 to 1986, before the club moved down the street to its present location at the Ferguson Mansion on 1310 S. 3rd Sreet. The society got its start in 1884 but had to start over in 1912 when most of the original collection was sold to the University of Chicago. Though the name is tied to Filson, who authored the first book about Kentucky history, one could argue that Filson Club would not exist without Roger Clark Ballard Thruston. He restarted the club after it lost most of its materials to Chicago, organized what remained, added his collection to the Filson stock, and then paid for the majority of the costs in building the historic Filson Club building. In 1884, the founding members honored John Filson, Kentucky's first historian, by naming the club after him; Filson published The Discovery, Settlement and Present State of Kentucke [sic] in 1784. The founding members held their first meetings at founder Reuben Durett's house. Durett also maintained the original collection of historical materials in his private library partly because Durett already possessed a personal collection of books, maps, portraits, and documents pertaining to Kentucky's history. In Durrett's will, he stipulated that his collection would pass to the club only if they found or built a suitable building to hold the materials, notably one with fireproof construction to avoid losing the historical treasures to fire. But, finding and financing a building proved difficult. So, after Durett suffered several strokes, he decided in 1912 to instead sell his collection to the University of Chicago as an assurance his collection would remain protected. Because the Filson Club did not organize its materials well, those who shipped Durett's materials to Chicago also included much of the club's collection in the boxes. The University of Chicago sent some materials back to the club, but for all intents and purposes, the Filson Club had to start over again in 1912. Roger Clark Ballard Thruston began by cataloging the remnants of the first collection and marking it as Filson Club property. He stored the collection in his office in the Columbia Building, Louisville's second skyscraper, which enjoyed a fireproof design. Still, the Columbia Building was not suitable for holding meetings so the club had them first at Louisville's new, Free Public Library and then at Thurston's home. With the materials in one building and meetings held in another, it became abundantly clear (again) that the Filson Club needed its own space. The move to acquire or build a permanent Filson Club facility began with Thurston's offer to add his personal collection to the Filson Club's materials and match $50,000 to any funds gathered by the club. The club responded by organizing a fund drive in 1926, but the campaign proved highly unsuccessful, so Thruston ultimately paid for 75% of the building costs. With a limited budget, the group could not buy a lot and construct a building, but they did find two residences that they could combine into one facility. The renovated and integrated spaces allowed the Filson Club to expand its collection, outreach, and promotion of research. The club expanded to the building in 1955, which coincided with an enlargement of its collection. The Filson Club building remained the organization's home until 1986, when they moved to its current home, the Ferguson Mansion on 1310 S. 3rd Sreet. After the club moved, the original Filson Club building transitioned into a car dealership, including concrete blocks placed around the building. In 2010, a move to restore the building commenced, including removing the concrete blocks and rehabilitating the Filson Club building. The renovations gave the building new life, mainly serving as office and classroom space. Because the building remains functional, one can get a glimpse of the Filson Club's humble beginnings well before moving into a mansion in 1986. Indeed, the historical society spent nearly five decades trying to find a home, including having to restart the collection halfway through its early existence.

The Filson Club served as the original, permanent home of the Filson Club, now known as the Filson Historical Society, from the late 1920s until 1986 when the organization moved to its current location at the Ferguson Mansion on 3rd Street. The club started in 1884, but lost its first collection to the University of Chicago in 1912. A less than impressive fund drive during the 1920s forced its president, Roger Clark Ballard Thruston, to finance 75% of the buidling costs. He had already done the work of maintaining and adding to the collection after 1912 and hosting meetings at his house. Finally getting a building during the 1920s allowed the club to expand mightily. 

Louisville South of Broadway Street to Central Park

Filson Historical Society

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information