Louisville Gardens is still waiting for a savior in the form of a request for proposals, according to Louisville Business First. Louisville Gardens has served the city of Louisville in many capacities since it was built in 1905. The 6,000-seat arena at 525 W. Muhammad Ali Boulevard started out as the Jefferson County Armory with a drill hall and ammunition repository for the local branch of the state militia. Then for decades it served as an entertainment venue hosting sporting events, concerts, community gatherings, and even a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Since 2008, Louisville Metro Government has used the former venue as a storage facility. Initially, the city asked Baltimore-based Cordish Companies to oversee the renovation of the historic venue as part of the agreement to manage Fourth Street Live. At the time, it was estimated Louisville Gardens needed $15 million in renovations. But Cordish was relieved of its obligation in 2012 when the company’s agreement with the city was renegotiated.Louisville Metro received three plans for the venue in 2014 in response to a request for proposals. One of them was from Jeff Underhill, president of Underhill Associates. Underhill said he won out over the competing proposals, one that sought $6 million from the city to return Louisville Gardens to a multipurpose venue and the other would have turned it into a hockey rink. “It’d be very New Orleans-style so that the outside walls of the property had living space, but then had interior balconies overlooking the former basketball floor,” said Underhill. “We were going to take the basketball floor out of the basement, and we were going to create a walking path around where the basketball floor used to be. And it was gonna be open to the public.”Underhill said in the end he could not come to terms with the city on the project. Then in 2018, the Louisville Central Community Center proposed redeveloping the property for entertainment use, new office space and commercial space as part of the Muhammad Ali Arts, Culture & Innovation District, between Fifth and 22nd streets. The city is still partnering with LCCC on some aspects of its arts and entertainment district plan, but Louisville Gardens is no longer a part of it, according to Jody Hamilton, a spokesperson for economic development agency Louisville Forward. “We helped LCCC with the arts and culture district and have made a significant investment in the black box theatre (Grand Lyric) at their site at 13th and Ali,” Hamilton said. “We are unaware of any other new developments (at Louisville Gardens) at this time.”In fact, the city is still accepting proposals to return Louisville Gardens to its former use as a public gathering space for arts, entertainment, and community use. The estimated cost to redevelop the historic property is at least $40 million.Underhill said not redeveloping Louisville Gardens would be a missed opportunity for Downtown Louisville.For more on some of Underhill’s other ideas for the area, you can read Louisville Business First’s entire article here
Louisville Gardens is still waiting for a savior in the form of a request for proposals, according to Louisville Business First.
Louisville Gardens has served the city of Louisville in many capacities since it was built in 1905. The 6,000-seat arena at 525 W. Muhammad Ali Boulevard started out as the Jefferson County Armory with a drill hall and ammunition repository for the local branch of the state militia. Then for decades it served as an entertainment venue hosting sporting events, concerts, community gatherings, and even a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Since 2008, Louisville Metro Government has used the former venue as a storage facility. Initially, the city asked Baltimore-based Cordish Companies to oversee the renovation of the historic venue as part of the agreement to manage Fourth Street Live. At the time, it was estimated Louisville Gardens needed $15 million in renovations.
But Cordish was relieved of its obligation in 2012 when the company’s agreement with the city was renegotiated.
Louisville Metro received three plans for the venue in 2014 in response to a request for proposals. One of them was from Jeff Underhill, president of Underhill Associates. Underhill said he won out over the competing proposals, one that sought $6 million from the city to return Louisville Gardens to a multipurpose venue and the other would have turned it into a hockey rink.
“It’d be very New Orleans-style so that the outside walls of the property had living space, but then had interior balconies overlooking the former basketball floor,” said Underhill. “We were going to take the basketball floor out of the basement, and we were going to create a walking path around where the basketball floor used to be. And it was gonna be open to the public.”
Underhill said in the end he could not come to terms with the city on the project.
Then in 2018, the Louisville Central Community Center proposed redeveloping the property for entertainment use, new office space and commercial space as part of the Muhammad Ali Arts, Culture & Innovation District, between Fifth and 22nd streets. The city is still partnering with LCCC on some aspects of its arts and entertainment district plan, but Louisville Gardens is no longer a part of it, according to Jody Hamilton, a spokesperson for economic development agency Louisville Forward.
“We helped LCCC with the arts and culture district and have made a significant investment in the black box theatre (Grand Lyric) at their site at 13th and Ali,” Hamilton said. “We are unaware of any other new developments (at Louisville Gardens) at this time.”
In fact, the city is still accepting proposals to return Louisville Gardens to its former use as a public gathering space for arts, entertainment, and community use. The estimated cost to redevelop the historic property is at least $40 million.
Underhill said not redeveloping Louisville Gardens would be a missed opportunity for Downtown Louisville.
For more on some of Underhill’s other ideas for the area, you can read Louisville Business First’s entire article here