Louisville, Kentucky –
a booming center for independent
art, music and business.

On the return trip from Columbus, the tour will stop in Louisville, Kentucky to visit 21c, a contemporary art museum and hotel, founded in 2006 by Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, philanthropists and arts patrons. Their vision for supporting the revitalization of Louisville’s downtown included engaging the public with contemporary art in a new way. “Understanding that art drives commerce and enriches people’s lives, they created 21c Museum Hotel to help make Louisville—and its historic downtown arts and theater district—an even more vibrant place to live, work, and visit.”

Following lunch at Proof, 21c’s acclaimed restaurant, we’ll visit Glassworks, a mixed-use loft conversion designed around a glass blowing facility and galleries. The building is home to three glass studios, two glass galleries, and a mixture of homes for sale and lease. Opened in 1999, the concept was developed by glass artist Kenneth vonRoenn and developer Bill Weyland.

The building, historically known as the Snead Manufacturing Building, is located on the fringe of downtown. The partners offset the less than ideal location by incorporating Glassworks into the loft conversion project, thereby giving the building a unique identity.

Reborn into a new multi-use facility, it is a place for visitors and residents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The final stop in Louisville to investigate the impact of good design on development is a trip to Waterfront Park. Totaling 85 acres, the park was designed and completed in three phases by Hargreaves Associates; the firm currently leading the design and implementation of Nashville’s Riverfront Redevelopment project on the Cumberland River.

Begun in 1991, the Waterfront Park project was initiated to reintegrate the downtown grid to the waterfront. It has become “the front door to Kentucky, a playground for people of all ages, and a gathering place for folks from all over the community. It offers a grand view of the river, space for concerts and festivals, quiet places to read a book, picnic spaces for your family and friends.” In addition to becoming a fabulous amenity for downtown residents, the project has impacted undeveloped parcels both surrounding and upstream, aiding in a dynamic period of growth and redevelopment.