LOUISVILLE LANDMARKS COMMISSION DESIGN GUIDELINES, OLD LOUISVILLE, PAGE 1

SOUTHERN EXTENSION

Wealthy citizens of the city began developing OldLouisville during the mid-nineteenth century. Extend-ing the city grid south of Broadway, the new neigh-borhood became Louisville�s first suburb. Aptly calledthe Southern Extension, the community initiallyconsisted of a few country residences occupied byLouisville�s business and political leaders. Morefamilies began to build homes in the area after theextension of north-south avenues in 1850.

Development slowed with the onset of the Civil War,but quickened its pace in the post-war years as theeconomy boomed. Louisville�s growth as a manufac-turing center created a rising professional and mana-gerial class in search of upscale housing. Within thenext twenty years, many of these families builtsubstantial two- and three-story brick houses alongthe streets between Broadway and Ormsby Avenue.

Old LouisvilleRURAL AREA ANNEXED

As development moved southward, so did the city�sboundaries. In 1868, the city annexed the landencompassing the House of Refuge, now the BelknapCampus of the University of Louisville. At that time,the House of Refuge stood in a rural landscape onthe periphery of existing neighborhoods. Much of thesurrounding area remained rural for the next decade,until the period of growth inspired by the SouthernExposition.

EXPOSITION FEVER

Between 1883-1887, one million people visited theSouthern Exposition, an industrial and mercantileshow located within Old Louisville. Opened byPresident Chester A. Arthur and featuring ThomasEdison�s light bulb, the Exposition brought nationalattention to Louisville. For local residents, it alsosparked great interest in the surrounding neighbor-hood.

Italianate mansion and Victorian gardens within what is now Central Park, courtesy of the University of Louisville Photographic Archives.

At the close of the Exposition, developers bought andsubdivided the 45-acre site. For the next two de-cades, houses were built with increasing frequencyalong Third and Fourth Streets, between Park andLee Streets. St. James Court was begun in 1890.

PRESERVATION DISTRICT

A Brief History

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Additional subdivisions begunsoon after included BelgraviaCourt, Confederate Place,Fountain Court, Avery Place,Ormsby Place, and OuerbackerCourt. Houses constructedduring this period were built ofbrick and stone in the revivalstyles popular during theVictorian era.

FALLING OUT OF FAVOR

Old Louisville remained one ofthe city�s most fashionableneighborhoods through theturn of the century. By thebeginning of World War I,

however, the once popular neighborhood began tolose favor. Families became enamored of the suburbsdeveloping east and west of the city. First, theelectric streetcar and then automobiles made thenew suburbs easily accessible. Improved electric,plumbing, and heating technology made the newsuburban homes more attractive.

As families moved out, businesses moved into theneighborhood. From the 1920s through the 1950s,commercial development pressure dramaticallyaltered the character of Old Louisville. Businessesdestroyed a substantial number of homes to makeroom for growing building and parking needs.Between 1950 and 1970, the neighborhood lost more

homeowners as families sought new housing in thegrowing suburbs.The population dropped from36,000 to 17,900 people.

CITIZENS TAKE ACTION

Deeply troubled by the changes that had sweptthrough the neighborhood, residents took action. In1961, a lawyer and a newspaper reporter formedRestoration, Inc. for the purpose of buying andrenovating historic homes in Old Louisville. Not onlydid the small company renovate eleven homes onBelgravia Court; it also inspired others to do thesame. Soon new homeowners had purchased andbegun rehabilitating houses in Belgravia and St.James Court.

Five area churches organized the NeighborhoodDevelopment Corporation in 1968, sustaining localactivism. Homeowners, tenants, and communityleaders worked together to rezone the area, prohibitcommercial use in residential neighborhoods, andrenovate houses. In support of these efforts, the citygave historic Old Louisville official status and protec-tion by designating it a local preservation district in1974.

Today, the quality of life in Old Louisville is main-tained through the efforts of organizations like theOld Louisville Neighborhood Council. Cooperatingblock associations, the business district�s Oak StreetTask Force, and the Historic Landmarks and Preser-vation Districts Commission all actively participate inthe Council.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The Dupont children used the house at 1412St. James Court as a playhouse until 1905,when the family relocated it to the Court tomake way for the creation of Central Park.Built in 1837, it is one of Old Louisville�s oldestsurviving buildings.

• Gargoyles perch atop the ornate Conrad-Caldwell House at 1402 St. James Court.Designed by prominent local architect ArthurLoomis in the late 1890s and intended for useas the mayoral house, it displays some of themost lavish stone carvings in the city.

• Begun in 1883, the Southern Expositionoccupied a 45-acre site near the presentlocation of Central Park. Elaborate framebuildings, stretching across ten acres, housedthe Exposition.

• An innovative concept in 1892, Belgravia Courtbecame the city�s first pedestrian-only, orwalking, court.

• In the 1980s, the Old Louisville NeighborhoodCouncil, LandmarksCommission staff, and alocal developer workedtogether to create anaesthetically pleasingdesign for the Roadrun-ner and Family Dollarstores located at Garvinand Oak Streets.

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�Reading� Your Building�A Crash Course

Property owners planning to make exterior changesto a historic building should start by identifying thefeatures and materials that give their structure itsunique character, as well as its historic and non-historic elements. By taking the time to recognizeand understand significant features, you will be muchmore likely to plan a project that is compatible withthe original style of the building.

If, after looking over these guidelines, you would stilllike more information, the staff will be happy toarrange a pre-application meeting. Staff members canprovide additional advice on the character of yourbuilding and how it relates to your upcoming project.

Learning to read a building and identify its significantelements is not complicated. Begin by thinking aboutand answering the questions below.

STEP ONE

Identify the overall visual aspects of a building. Donot focus on the details, but on the setting andarchitectural context. Begin by working through thechecklist below.

SHAPEWhat is there about the form or shape of the buildingthat gives the building its identity? Is it short andsquat, or tall and narrow?

ROOF AND ROOF FEATURESHow does the roof shape or pitch contribute to thebuilding�s character? Are there unique features likeweathervanes, cresting, or cupolas?

OPENINGSWhat rhythm or pattern does the arrangement ofwindow or door openings create? Are there unusuallyshaped window openings or distinctive entryways?

PROJECTIONSAre there parts of the building that are character-defining because they project from the walls of thebuilding like porches, cornices, bay windows, orbalconies? Are there turrets, or widely overhangingeaves, projecting pediments, or chimneys?

TRIM AND SECONDARY FEATURESHow does window and door trim contribute to thecharacter of the building? Be sure to consider thedecoration, color, or patterning of the trim. Whatabout secondary features like shutters, decorativegables, and railings?

MATERIALSFrom a distance, what contribution do the color,texture, and combination of exterior materials maketo the overall character of the building?

SETTINGWhat aspects of the setting are important in establish-ing the visual character of the site? Think about thebuilding�s setback, alignment with adjacent buildings,plantings, fencing, terracing, and outbuildings and itsrelationship to the street and alley.

STEP TWO

Identify the character of the building at close range.Assess the color and texture of the building materialsas they convey the craftsmanship and age that givesthe building its unique appearance. Begin by workingthrough the checklist below.

MATERIALS AT CLOSE INSPECTIONAre there one or more materials that have an inher-ent texture that contribute to the close-range charac-ter, such as stucco, exposed aggregate concrete, orbrick textured with vertical grooves?

CRAFT DETAILSIs there high-quality brickwork with narrow mortarjoints, or hand-tooled or patterned stonework? Arethere hand-split or hand-dressed clapboards ormachine-smoothed beveled siding? Craft details,whether handmade or machine-made, contribute tothe character of a building because they are manifes-tations of the time in which the work was done andof the tools and processes that were used.

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OLD LOUISVILLE�A GENTEEL ENCLAVE

After the close of the Southern Exposition in the mid-1880s, developers envisioned its grounds and imme-diate environs as the next suburban enclave for theaffluent professionals of Louisville�s Gilded Age.

BUILDING USE

Today, the Old LouisvillePreservation Districtremains predominatelyresidential, although itcontains the Oak Streetcommercial corridor, afocus of revitalizationefforts, and a number ofother business establish-ments and civic and reli-gious structures. A mix ofsingle-family residences andcondominiums and apart-ments housed in convertedresidences and small- andlarge-scale apartmentbuildings comprise themajority of the district�sbuilding stock.

CIRCULATION PATTERNS

Although historically characterized as suburban, OldLouisville�s transportation patterns embrace theregularity of the urban grid. North-south streetsalternate with brick-paved alleys, which themselvescomprise a notable transportation network, andintersect narrower east-west streets, upon whichfront houses of a slightly more modest scale. Narrowlot widths preclude any side-yard driveways, andparking is limited to on-street or rear-yard garagesand carriage houses. Many architectural gems,reflecting the style and form of the main houses, aswell as handyman�s-special concrete-block garages,are seen along these alleys.

SITE CHARACTER

Wide sidewalks and tree-planted rights of way arepresent on many streets, and the district boasts asignificant amount of public open space in the formof parks and pedestrian courts and terraces. Mosthouses have tidy front lawns, which vary consider-ably in size. Cast concrete or limestone curbinggenerally edge these lawns, which are usuallybisected by steps and a front walk. In some cases,iron fencing survives, delineating the lots. Side yards,in contrast, are consistently narrow, leaving aminimum of space between even some of the mostcommanding residences. Mature canopy trees, whichattest to the age of the neighborhood, also contrib-ute significantly to the district�s alternately urban andsuburban character.

ARCHITECTURAL EXPERIMENTATION

The district�s building stock reflects the eclecticismand experimentation that characterized turn-of-the-century architectural design, interrupted only occa-sionally by unsympathetic, infill development.Considerable variation among architectural styles andrelative opulence can be seen in Old Louisville. Thelargest houses, usually architect-designed, line thenumbered streets within the center of the district. Asone moves east and west, the more modest housesthat were built in the early twentieth century areseen. Common building styles for mansions includedRichardsonian Romanesque, Italian RenaissanceRevival, and Colonial Revival. Queen Anne andCraftsman styles were preferred for many smallerframe houses.

The Old Louisville PreservationDistrict contains many interesting

vistas. The historic alley photo-graph (top) and present-day park

image (bottom) show the rangeof views.

Courtesy of the University of Louisville Photographic Archives.

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BUILDING MATERIALS

Most of the buildings in Old Louisville have a morecommanding presence than houses seen in the city�sother residential preservation districts. Architectsused lavish amounts of ornament. Carved stone,terra cotta, and mosaic tile were used for high-styledesigns. Textured decorative brick and cut wood trimwere used to great effect on less-expensive houses.A walk through the district reveals a wide range ofbuilding materials from rusticated limestone toframe, with brick being the most prevalent. Raisedstone foundations and a variety of porch types arealso regular features.

DIRECTIONAL EMPHASIS

Houses convey a sense of mass and solidity; how-ever, the steeply-pitched roofs and turrets of somestyles often provide vertical emphasis. The overallmaintenance requirements of these houses areconsiderable, and significant levels of deteriorationarose during the district�s era of absentee owners(1930s through the 1970s). Revitalization efforts overthe past twenty-five years have attracted a largernumber of resident-owners, a trend that will certainlybenefit the district�s supreme collection of Victorian-era structures.

CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES

Site• exhibits an urban grid street pattern with a

secondary circulation system of alleys;• has varied lot sizes with generous front and rear

yards and narrow side yards; and• is unified by consistent setbacks, curbing, and

street trees.

Facades• generally share a common setback with other

houses on the block;• are organized in many different manners:

symmetrical and asymmetrical, with recedingplanes or articulated forms and without; and

• often possess a massive and highly-ornamentalcharacter.

Masonry• is the predominate building material within the

district;• often employs a variety of materials used in

combination: brick, limestone, and terra cotta;and

• enhances architectural character through itscolor, texture, dimensionality, and bondingpatterns.

Wood• articulates stylistic features in cornices, eaves,

porch elements, and decorative trim; but• has limited use as a cladding material, except on

the eastern side of the district.

Windows• generally employ double-hung, wood construc-

tion, except for some large apartment buildingsthat have metal casement windows;

• are generally quite expansive, adding consider-able visual interest to facades, especially whenused in combination; and

• often possess decorative glass or glazingpatterns that express stylistic character.

Doors• are prominent facade elements that convey a

building�s architectural presence;• are often set-off by elaborate masonry sur-

rounds or porches; and• include both single and double varieties.

Roofs• often establish relationships among houses on a

given block in their overall form;• exhibit a wide range of configurations (some

complex and some simple); and• are commonly punctuated by elaborate dor-

mers.

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ROOF DOOR

SITE

PORCH

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MASONRY

FACADE ALLEY

WINDOW

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Preservation Principles

Outlined below are a number of guiding preservationprinciples that are modeled after the Secretary of theInterior�s Standards for Rehabilitation. Readingthrough these principles will help you begin to thinkabout how you can carry out your upcoming projectin a way that both enhances your historic building orsite and preserves its character-defining features.

RELATIONSHIPS

When evaluating the appropriateness of a givenproject, the structure, the site, and their relationshipto the rest of the district should be given carefulconsideration.

USE

Historic structures within a local preservation districtshould be used for their originally intended purposeor for an alternate purpose that requires minimalalteration to the building and site.

ALTERATIONS

Repair is always preferred over replacement. Whenreplacement is necessary, materials should replicateor match the visual appearance of the original.

A high level of craftsmanship distinguishes structureswithin local preservation districts. Distinctive fea-tures, finishes, and construction techniques shouldbe preserved whenever possible.

Removal or alteration of historic fabric compromisesthe original character of a building or site and shouldbe avoided.

Properties, however, do change over time. Thosealterations that have become historic in their ownright should be maintained as a record of aresource�s physical evolution.

NEW CONSTRUCTION AND ADDITIONS

Additions should be designed to minimize impact tohistoric fabric and should be compatible with themain structure in massing, size, and scale.

New, infill construction should be designed so that itis compatible with its neighbors in size, massing,scale, setback, facade organization, and roof form.

New construction and additions should also drawupon established stylistic elements to create asympathetic design that is clearly of its own era.

FALSE-HISTORICISM

Additions that use new or salvaged material to createa conjectural or falsely historical appearance areinappropriate.

TREATMENTS

Chemical and physical treatments should always beas gentle as possible, since harsh methods likesandblasting can irreversibly damage historic fabric.

ARCHEOLOGY

Historic sites often contain archeological resources,which should be protected and preserved wheneverpossible. If artifacts are found, contact the Land-marks Commission for an assessment.

The Conrad-Caldwell House�s side addition is compatible with the main building, because it is recessed from the mainfacade plane, is subordinate in size, employs similar building materials, and is not visually overwhelming.