This is part of a continuing series that covers the history of urban renewal in Downtown Louisville. To see the previous article, click here.
Riverfront Renewal
While not generally associated with the two other renewal areas, plans for this area were also established in the 1957 Bartholomew plan, with some work beginning by 1960. Plans would change pretty consistently to some extent, but the goal of the urban renewal agency was reaffirmed in 1963. The new waterfront would require the construction of 1000 new apartments, new office towers, new public space, and more. The plan was approved by the federal government in 1964, which provided $15.6 million in loans and assistance.
The construction of new structures would face consistent delays, but demolition would move ahead relatively smoothly by 1963. The clearing would include many buildings, including Louisville’s first skyscraper. By 1966, 55% of the land necessary for the urban renewal project were acquired by the city, but construction had yet to really start. Delays were so costly that the city sought an “expediter” dedicated to moving everything forward.
The crown jewel of this whole development was going to be the “Reynolds Metals-General Electric Company Riverfront Development”, a $20 million dollar apartment development that would anchor the riverfront. This development would act as a sort of counter-weight to the residential developments on the south end of downtown, primarily the 800 Tower Apartments. There was anxiety in the air, though, as years of delays began to add up. In order to tame fears, Urban Renewal director Jack D. Leeth said in 1964 that there was “no possibility whatsoever” that Reynolds Metals would drop out of the riverfront renewal project
In early 1967, the Reynolds Metals Corporation dropped out of the riverfront development project, along with General Electric. The plans for the riverfront seemed very up-in-the-air. Priorities shifted, and now a new arts center was sought for the riverfront. This was so important, that the Life Insurance Company of Kentucky threatened to no longer build their new office there if it was not built.
After nearly a decade of demolition and construction delays, work began on the first phase of renewal in 1968 with the Life Insurance of Kentucky deciding to stick with the riverfront for their office . This was quickly followed by another phase of construction that would consist of a new hotel (The Galt House), office building (One Riverfront Plaza, located where the Columbia Building once was), parking garage, and a public space called the Belvedere. A large-scale apartment complex was also planned for this phase of construction, but that never happened.
The new phase of construction was beleaguered by the problems typical of urban renewal, with a lawsuit being filed almost immediately by one of the developers. Despite this, things moved forward on the first phase and the new riverfront was opened in April 1973. By 1974, Urban Renewal director Leeth was looking towards the next phases of the riverfront project, consisting of a new development called Shippingport Square, a new convention center, and another development called Five Riverfront Plaza.
Shippingport Square would have included the residential component that has been discussed many times by city officials since 1960, along with a hotel, parking garage, and office building. It was planned to be located against I-64 between Third and Fourth Streets and cost approximately $37.5 million. The project faced financing problems, leading to the original developer backing out. The plans for the square would be taken up by a new group of developers, who seemingly axed the residential component of the project for economic reasons. The economics would continue to not pencil out, with years of delays, until the project was eventually killed in 1976. The plans to develop this area as we know it today were unveiled in 1979, with construction following soon after. This would only include office towers and an expansion to the Galt House.
Five Riverfront Plaza has a history very similar to that of Shippingport Square. The development started out as a 22.4 million dollar project that would include two apartment towers (one being 39 stories tall!), shopping mall, and parking garage. This new complex was to be located at Sixth and Main. Two years after the proposal was accepted by the city, the developers removed all residential units from the project, leaving only offices and commercial space. After the urban renewal commission rejected this change, the original developers left the project. The site would remain vacant for a few years until eventually it became the home of the Kentucky Center for the Arts.
The early convention center plans seemed to call for it to be around the same area as the other two developments, but it ended up being located on the block bounded by Fourth, Third, Liberty, and Jefferson. Construction started on this project by mid-1975, making it one of the least-delayed urban renewal projects. The convention center would eventually be expanded to encompass its neighboring block bordering Second Street in 2017.
Hero image courtesy of UofL Archives and Special Collections
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