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http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.d...NEWS01/61110034

"Four buildings on West Main Street dating from the mid- to late 19th century will be readied for demolition starting Monday, the first sign of activity on the Museum Plaza skyscraper.

Developers plan to incorporate the historic facades of the buildings at 615-621 W. Main St. as an entrance to a pedestrian promenade and retail corridor."

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http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.d...EWS01/612050339

"Museum Plaza enlists international art adviser: New type of space interests Dercon"

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http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.d.../612060527/1008

"Museum Plaza plan expands, cost grows: Proposal calls for change in traffic along waterfront"

"Museum Plaza, the skyline-altering complex proposed for downtown's western edge, will be larger than previously planned and cost an extra $85 million by the time it opens in 2010.

It also will radically change traffic along the city's waterfront, extending River Road and closing part of Seventh Street."

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http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.d...NEWS01/61110034

"Four buildings on West Main Street dating from the mid- to late 19th century will be readied for demolition starting Monday, the first sign of activity on the Museum Plaza skyscraper.

Developers plan to incorporate the historic facades of the buildings at 615-621 W. Main St. as an entrance to a pedestrian promenade and retail corridor."

--

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.d...EWS01/612050339

"Museum Plaza enlists international art adviser: New type of space interests Dercon"

--

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.d.../612060527/1008

"Museum Plaza plan expands, cost grows: Proposal calls for change in traffic along waterfront"

"Museum Plaza, the skyline-altering complex proposed for downtown's western edge, will be larger than previously planned and cost an extra $85 million by the time it opens in 2010.

It also will radically change traffic along the city's waterfront, extending River Road and closing part of Seventh Street."

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I'm just curious, has there been any controversy over these demolitions? When I went to Louisville 3 months ago, I absolutely loved the West Main corridor. I was hard-pressed to think of another historic main street corridor in a major city that was as well-preserved. I'd hate to see that messed up, especially for a project I'm not too excited about (architecturally), lol.
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From what the article seemed to indicate, they are on West Main street. Therefore they contribute (pretty importantly) to the overall context of what a person experiences when they go down that street, namely one of the few preserved historic main street corridors to be found throughout the South.

Having some huge glass and steel behemoth sitting right on that road would certainly to destroy the ambiance of that context for me and I would hope they would set the high-rise portion back. However, the fact that they are only talking facade preservation leads me to have some concerns...

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I'm not too fond of the design for Museum Plaza but it may be crazy enough to work. Not only will it be a huge $1 billion investment in Kentucky, but it will be a tourist magnet....With the museums and other attractions planning to move in, it will be a nice profile for Louisville - albeit ugly.
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The historic buildings are not being lost at all. The street will still look the exact same. They are keeping and restoring the facades of the buildings, then ripping out the building behind it and rebuilding it. When it is all completed you would never know the difference between this an a rehab/remod.

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The historic buildings are not being lost at all. The street will still look the exact same. They are keeping and restoring the facades of the buildings, then ripping out the building behind it and rebuilding it. When it is all completed you would never know the difference between this an a rehab/remod.
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No.

The buildings will look the exact sameas they do now, just rehabbed.

BEHIND those buildings is where Museum Plaza is being built. There will be a connection built between the old buildings and MP. There are diagram on the Courier-Journal website if you're truly interested in the way it will all be situated.

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From what the article seemed to indicate, they are on West Main street. Therefore they contribute (pretty importantly) to the overall context of what a person experiences when they go down that street, namely one of the few preserved historic main street corridors to be found throughout the South.

Having some huge glass and steel behemoth sitting right on that road would certainly to destroy the ambiance of that context for me and I would hope they would set the high-rise portion back. However, the fact that they are only talking facade preservation leads me to have some concerns...

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Museum Plaza will not sit directly on main street. It will actually sit one block north of the historic buildings on main street on what is now a vacant parking lot. Let me reiterate. Musem Plaza is actually INFILL on a vacant, dead end parking lot/alley. MP is building sometheing where there is nothing but urban dead space between the backs of old buildings and a riverside freeway (which itself is an unsightly beast that should be torn down, but thats a diff story).

The buildings being "demolished" on main street are not really being demolished at all. That is just our local paper using poor word choice which is not surprising since it is a horrible paper. Rather, a group of four historic buildings will have their main street facades completely refurbished and restored to their 19th century grandeur. These same four buildings, with their facades intact, are undergoing interior demo work now. Most likely, much of the backs of the buildings will be torn down because they are so old they are unstable. Since the interior is nothing but an old warehouse, it won't matter if the whole back can be saved or not. Either way, the back of the four main street buildings will be rebuilt, and the four buildings will serve as a main street entrance to MP. So, you enter the refurbished cast iron facades on main street, and you walk through a corridor of retail (to include a small urban bourbon distillery, gift shop, and a restaurant), and at the back end of the rebuilt buildings, one can access a diagonally inclining elevator that by all means should be as much as a tourist draw as the Arch in Saint Louis.

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Museum Plaza will not sit directly on main street. It will actually sit one block north of the historic buildings on main street on what is now a vacant parking lot. Let me reiterate. Musem Plaza is actually INFILL on a vacant, dead end parking lot/alley. MP is building sometheing where there is nothing but urban dead space between the backs of old buildings and a riverside freeway (which itself is an unsightly beast that should be torn down, but thats a diff story).

The buildings being "demolished" on main street are not really being demolished at all. That is just our local paper using poor word choice which is not surprising since it is a horrible paper. Rather, a group of four historic buildings will have their main street facades completely refurbished and restored to their 19th century grandeur. These same four buildings, with their facades intact, are undergoing interior demo work now. Most likely, much of the backs of the buildings will be torn down because they are so old they are unstable. Since the interior is nothing but an old warehouse, it won't matter if the whole back can be saved or not. Either way, the back of the four main street buildings will be rebuilt, and the four buildings will serve as a main street entrance to MP. So, you enter the refurbished cast iron facades on main street, and you walk through a corridor of retail (to include a small urban bourbon distillery, gift shop, and a restaurant), and at the back end of the rebuilt buildings, one can access a diagonally inclining elevator that by all means should be as much as a tourist draw as the Arch in Saint Louis.

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Let's not get carried away with the breadth of the future tourist draw. That being said, and in defense of your defense of the West Main rehabilitation work, we need to remember that one of these four buildings has a tree growing through it. That doesn't come from only a month or two of neglect. Also, one not need look further than the marvelous 21c Museum Hotel to see that this team has a strong track record of urban restoration and preservation.
Edited by ppassafi
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  • 4 weeks later...

Museum Plaza details sketched out

Ground breaking will occur in May/June with completion in 2010. The article also goes into my details and includes photographs.

Article information:

"Museum Plaza details sketched out; Art display area will offer frequently changing exhibits

Courier-Journal [Louisville]

By Sheldon S. Shafer

Tuesday, January 23, 2007"

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  • 2 weeks later...

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