Extreme Makeover: Facade Improvements in Old Louisville and Nulu

Before the renovation.

Work has wrapped up recently on a total replacement of the mid-century storefronts of two neighboring buildings on Oak Street in Old Louisville, near the intersection with Fourth Street.  The new brick facades are a clear improvement and a step in the right direction for the Oak Street commercial corridor.   Oak Street will play an important role in Old Louisville's renaissance, as it tries to play catch up to current hot locales such as the Highlands and more recently Nulu and Germantown.  These building are right next door to the Rudyard Kipling, and with the right bar and restaurant mix could be the beginnings of a new dining and entertainment district.

Metro government has previously approved an extensive streetscape improvement effort on Oak Street to help jump-start the transformation.  These renovations as well as the Nulu restoration covered below were facilitated with loans from Metro Government's METCO (Metro Business Development Corporation).

Before the renovation.

Over in Nulu, an equally impressive transformation has taken place next to the Mayan Cafe.  Work there is nearing completion as workers have already removed the previously added faux stonework to expose historic brickwork and a limestone storefront.  Windows have been replaced and the interior build-out is being completed.

Before the restoration.

This is to be the future location of alterEGO, a womens apparel store, following a move from the suburbs and their current location in Westport Village.  Linda Hawpe's boutique is another feather in Nulu's cap as it reverses the decades long trend of retail leaving downtown for the suburbs.

More pictures after the jump:

New Retail Coming to the Arena District on Main

In a new development, that I have yet to see reported elsewhere, the eastern tower of the Waterfront Plaza complex is converting a portion of the first level of it's below-grade parking garage into new retail space to service both the legions of Humana and other office workers in the area by day, and to capitalize on arena crowds by night.

A worker on site today confirmed that current plans for the location, which is underneath the Central Bank branch and also below street level, include a bar, deli and possibly an ice cream shop.

Concrete retaining walls and Iron fence-work have been removed.

During the first rounds of the NCAA tournament, back in March, the Galt House set up a temporary bar and grill in this same area to service the large crowds gathered for the games.  They must have deemed the experiment a success and want to invest in a more permanent solution to take advantage of future arena crowds, as well as offer another lunch option for area workers.

Work has included the removal of the existing concrete retaining wall and iron fence-work as well as the pouring of new footers to support an extension of the space towards the earthen embankment and to allow installation of two sets of stairs leading down from Main Street.  Patrons will also be able to access the space from the interior of Waterfront Plaza.

More Pictures of the site preparations after the jump:

Big Four Pedestrian Bridge: New Decking Nearing Completion, Indiana Ramp Sprouting Piers

Kentucky's work on the Big Four bridge is nearing completion, with the spiral approach ramp over Waterfront Park complete and the removal and replacement of the old railroad ties with new concrete decking entering the final phase.

Work is also starting to heat up on the Indiana side, with concrete piers going up, leading from the bridge to the future landing site of the path, near Pearl and Chestnut streets in Jeffersonville.  A new park at that site is also currently under construction.  Several homes still must be cleared to make room. 

The path is scheduled to open in 2013.  Kentucky officials do plan to allow park goers onto the completed span once their portion of the project is compete, but before the ramp down to Indiana is finished.

More pictures, renderings of the completed park and related links after the jump:

Work Progressing on Fourth Street's Guthrie-Coke Building

Bill Weyland's City Properties group, in partnership with Ed Allgeier, are making steady progress at the circa 1880's era Guthrie-Coke Building (also known as the Caperton Block) at 566 Fourth Street.  

Weyland purchased the property for $1.2 million in late 2009 and plans to develop it with a mix of apartments on the third and fourth floors, a recently announced headquarters for Volunteers of America taking over the second and part of the first floors, and a mix of retail on the remainder of the first floor.

The project is one element of Weyland's larger Clay Commons District plan, which Includes the previously renovated and restored Henry Clay, just around the corner, the Wright-Taylor building, which has already been restored and now awaits a tenant, and a new parking garage to support the area.  City Properties Group is also planning for a possible boutique hotel across the corner from Guthrie-Coke in a currently vacant lot, wrapping the new parking garage.

Work on the building so far has included the removal of a mid-century corner storefront and extensive interior demolition as well as a total removal and rebuilding of the large utilities vault underneath the sidewalk, in front of the building. The vault has been completed and the sidewalk has been replaced and reopened.

The developers are aiming for an early 2013 completion date.

More pictures and links after the jump:

Construction Update: Nucleus Building on Market Street

UofL's Nucleus building continues to buzz with activity as the exterior facade is applied.  The $18 million dollar building is the first phase of a larger Nucleus Incubator / Research / Medical Office Park planned for the former Haymarket block.

The project is aiming for a May 2013 opening, complete with a recently announced green roof and their first publicly acknowledged tenant, WhyWait LLC, a Louisville based start-up and creators of the restaurant app of the same name.

Rendering of the completed project after the jump:

Construction Update: Falls City Lofts on East Market Street

Construction has continued at a steady pace at the Falls City Lofts on East Market Street.  New windows have been added to the front, many additional window openings have been cut into the structural east wall, and a new roof, complete with an extended fourth floor have been added to the former Bacon - Debrovy Building.

Additionally, a driveway has been added leading to parking in the basement. Plans for the space include condos on the upper floors, some with terraces and views of the Ohio River, and two retail spaces on the first floor.

Positioned between Nulu, Slugger Field, and the UofL's Nucleus medical office park and armed with a somewhat lower price point than previous condo developments, hopefully, this project can help jump start the downtown condo market as we slowly pull ourselves out of the economic downturn.

More pictures after the jump:

Demolition Watch: Whiskey Row Demolition and Stabilization Continues

Work continues on the Whiskey Row block of Main Street.

The two central buildings have been stabilized with a new roof and new interior support work, as well as extensive tuck-pointing on the front and back facades.

The two buildings on either side of the stabilization work (4 buildings in total) are not as lucky and are currently being demolished, with only their facades being preserved.

The two eastern-most buildings being demolished, still owned by Todd Blue's Cobalt Group, are being cleared away to make room for a new parking lot.

Previously, Blue's group had proposed an ambitious mixed-use development named Iron Quarter for the block, which stalled with the financing collapse of 2008.

Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown stepped in and purchased the remaining properties from Blue and began the stabilization work.  Unfortunately, the two western-most buildings of the group were found to be structurally unsalvageable and they are also being taken down, while their facades are preserved.

Wilson and Brown have previously stated their intent was to stabilize the properties and make them fit for another group of developers to complete.  There have been no recent announcements regarding their current intentions or prospective buyers, and it is my hope that they can recreate some of their magic from their wildly successful and growing 21c Hotel chain on this block.  Perhaps something bourbon related to pay homage to the block's history and add to Louisville's burgeoning aspiration to become an "Urban Bourbon" destination.

More pictures after the jump:

Construction Watch: Stabilization work at Michter's Distillery in the Ft. Nelson Building

Following several weeks of foundation and footer work, structural steel supports have gone up to provide stabilization for the bulging east wall of the building, blocking much of the currently closed Eighth Street.

More pictures after the jump.