#TuesdayThoughts: Armory / Louisville Gardens
On July 26, 2022, WLKY News asked: Why is Louisville Gardens still sitting empty?
Vital Sites had prepared some research on the 1905 Beaux Arts building for a downtown walking tour with Urban Design Studio in May 2021. The Jefferson County Armory / Louisville Gardens was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1980.
Jefferson County allocated $450,000 for the construction of an armory in 1904, which was ordered by the Kentucky legislature. It was originally intended to serve the needs of the military as well as civilian. Considered “the most ambitious public design of architect Brinton B. Davis”, the armory was deemed “the largest public building ever constructed in the Commonwealth of Kentucky”. (NRHP)
Architect Walter C. Wagner, employed under a WPA contract in 1938, was contracted to improve the facility. New seating and a concrete floor were added; it’s possible the roof was rebuilt at this time as well. Again, the armory was an extreme for its time: said to have “the greatest floor space under a permanent roof of any convention hall in the world”! (NRHP)
Additional major renovations followed in the early 1960s and the late 1990s, with continued use as a concert hall and event venue. It closed in 2008 and is currently being used for storage. Contact Louisville Metro through this page if interested in re-development.
If interested, more information and photos are available: check out this 2014 Broken Sidewalk article or this Elvis-focused history (he played there in 1956!).