If you’ve recently taken a stroll along Muhammad Ali Boulevard, between Fourth or Fifth Street, you may have noticed an uptick in construction activity on the north side of the street. This marks the start of the exterior addition to A New Vision of Health Campus, part of the future downtown home of the UofL Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute. Most of the visible work is concentrated at 415 W Muhammad Ali Blvd, a site with a rich history. Previously, this lot was home to the George Garvin Brown Garden, and before that, it was the location of the iconic Hotel Henry Watterson.
As construction crews worked on the east-facing facade and new addition, they unearthed remnants of the old Hotel Watterson’s foundation. This unexpected discovery offers a glimpse into Louisville’s past, blending the city's historical layers with its modern development.
The Hotel Henry Watterson was 250-room, 10-floor hotel located at 415 West Walnut Street (now Muhammad Ali Blvd). The hotel was named after the Courier-Journal editor and (brief) member of the U.S. House of Representatives Henry Watterson, who is also the namesake of the Watterson Expressway. The building itself was erected in 1912, and hosted a variety of civic clubs throughout its lifetime, most famously the Rotary Club. The Watterson also served as a place of refuge during the 1937 flood.
The hotel had a large footprint, enabling it to host commercial uses on the first floor. Originally, the Hotel Henry Watterson catered to women and families. According to a 2010 article by Branden Klayko at Broken Sidewalk, It had some (at the time) fancy features such as electric fans and private baths. The hotel operated until 1974, and the building was demolished in 1981, after which it eventually became the George Garvin Brown Garden.
The redevelopment of A New Vision of Health Campus' east building, which was also known as the Molee Building and before that the Business Women's Club, required the temporary closure of the George Garvin Brown Garden to make way for construction access into the basement and now for geothermal system installation and a new foundation for the expanded building and innovative water catchment system. The garden will be reimagined and better than ever once construction is complete in 2025.
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