Remembering the Louisville Gardens venue

A large, old school building with the words "THE GARDENS" emblazoned on the front stand before a sidewalk in downtown Louisville. The "ar" in "Gardens" is missing, but the imprint of the letters is still there. The Beaux Arts-style building features columns and is three stories tall.

Louisville Gardens closed in 2008. | Photo by LOUtoday

From an armory to a 6,000-seat arena, the former Louisville Gardens venue at 525 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd. has had a more interesting life than most — and the city welcomes viable proposals to return the space to its previous concert-hall glory.

Originally built as the Jefferson County Armory in 1905, the Beaux Arts-style building was a drill hall and ammunition repository for the local militia + a community events space. Its amenities included a swimming pool, offices, and a rifle range in the basement.

Designed by Brinton B. Davis, the structure cost $450,000 to build — which would be $15 million to construct today. Louisville Metro Government estimates it would cost about $40 million to renovate the building now.

By 1923, the Gardens’ prominence as a community space eclipsed its military uses and by 1963 it was renovated for arena seating + air conditioning. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Although it closed in 2008 and has been used for storage ever since, the venue hosted events and speakers including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1960. According to Louisville Metro, its final concert was a My Morning Jacket show in 2006.

In recent years, developers have proposed turning the space into a new arts and culture district named after Muhammad Ali + converting the arena into a hockey rink.

What would you like to see happen with the Louisville Gardens? Tell us here.

Share this story with three friends who would pitch in and help you renovate the Louisville Gardens.

EVENTS

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Today

Art of Bourbon | Thurs., Sept. 22 | 6-9 p.m. | Speed Art Museum | Bid on bourbons selected by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Fred Minnick to support the art museum. 🥃
FREE SHOW: LOUISVILLE JAZZ INITIATIVE | Thurs., Sept. 22 | 6-9 p.m. | Christy’s Garden at Paristown, 731 Brent St. | Free | Hear a quintet perform jazz standards + original works.
Homearama 2022 | Sat., Sept. 10-Sun., Sept. 25 | Mon.-Fri., 5-8 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sundays, 1-6 p.m. | The Hamlet, Norton Commons’ exclusive Oldham County section | $15 | See the latest in building trends, technology + interior design in 10 fully decorated luxury homes located in The Hamlet. 🏡 *

Friday

Anger is a Gift: A Rage Against The Machine Tribute | Fri., Sept. 23 | 9 p.m. | The Whirling Tiger, 1335 Story Ave. | $10+ | Catch this tribute to the famous 1990s rock band with local musicians.

Saturday

AMVETS 15th Annual Car, Truck and Bike Show | Sat., Sept. 24 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | 9504 Smyrna Pkwy. | Free to attend | See classic and modified vehicles, participate in a silent auction + enjoy live music. 🏎️
Greek Fast N’ Go Drive Thru | Sat., Sept. 24 | 11 a.m.-6 p.m. | Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, 930 Ormsby Ln. | Free | Pick up gyros, Greek food + baklava at this drive-thru event.
ShopBar 3-Year Anniversary | Sat., Sept. 24 | 5 p.m.-1 a.m. | ShopBar, 950 Barret Ave. | Free | Shuck oysters with Lou Oyster Cult, snap a Mag Booth photo + sip complimentary champagne to celebrate this Barret Avenue bar’s three year anniversary.

Sunday

Middletown Peddlers Mall Outdoor Fall Kick-Off Festival | Sun., Sept. 25 | 12-5 p.m. | Middletown Peddlers Mall, 12405 Shelbyville Rd. | Free | Shop an outdoor market, get your picture taken in the photo lounge + enjoy food from Valley Dairy Freeze.

Wednesday

Four Year Strong | Wed., Sept. 28 | 8 p.m. | Mercury Ballroom| $25+ | See this long-standing punk band with support from Microwave + Save Face. 🎸

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

For tickets to local and regional events, check out our 6AM Tickets resale marketplace.*

100+ MORE EVENTS

HEALTH

Quiz: Does autumn in Louisville make you itchy, sneezy, hivey, or all of the above?

An allergy testing kit sitting on a picnic blanket in the grass.

Picnic ships plans directly to your door, on your schedule — and LOUtoday readers get 20% off. | Photo provided by Picnic

At LOUtoday, we love everything about fall — except the inevitable allergy spike. (No, it’s not just you — allergies are much worse these days.) But — news flash — you don’t have to suffer (read: sneeze) in silence. 🤧

This at-home allergy test can pinpoint your exact allergy triggers from 294 common irritants. You’ll also receive advice from a doctor on managing symptoms, or even a customized treatment plan of over-the-counter and prescription solutions so you can live your best Louisville life unbothered.*

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO GET STARTED

NEWS NOTES

Weather

73º | Partly cloudy | 15% chance of rain

Coming Soon

New York-style bagels are coming to the 502. Maya Bagel Express announced it’s opening at 3029 Poplar Level Rd. near the Audubon Norton Care Center. In addition to serving bagels, Maya also offers pastries, lunch sandwiches + coffee. Currently, no opening date has been set. 🥯

Closing

Red Top Hotdogs is closing its Shelby Park-based restaurant at 1127 Logan St. to focus on its food truck. Its final day of service was yesterday. You can still get your Nirvana-style dog — with roasted garlic cream cheese + jalapenos — at pop-up events like Food Truck Wednesdays. 🌭(WDRB)

Outdoors

The James Graham Brown Foundation donated $700,000 to Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest to fund the next phases of Bernheim’s Playcosystem project, which engages children with a natural playground. The phases will include constructing an ADA-compliant treehouse, fencing in 10 acres of forest + arranging 100 tons of boulders for kids to climb. (WLKY)

Try This

Texas Roadhouse is bringing its iconic honey cinnamon butter rolls to your home — in candle form. Starting on Fri., Sept. 23, you can pre-order your honey cinnamon candle for $12. Follow the locally-based restaurant chain’s Facebook page for updates on the sale link. 🕯️ (WLKY)

Cause

Local PGA Champion Justin Thomas is providing weekend meals for students at Camp Taylor Elementary School through the rest of the school year thanks to a partnership between his foundation + Blessings in a Backpack. More than 500 students will benefit from the weekend meal program. (WLKY)
The Omni Hotel Louisville is donating two meals to Dare to Care for every reservation it books this month as part of its “Say Goodnight to Hunger,” program. Each Friday in September, the hotel at 400 S. 2nd St. will also accept nonperishable food item donations. (WHAS11)

Today Is

The first day of fall — aka the autumn equinox — in the Northern Hemisphere. That means the days will begin slowly growing shorter until the winter solstice on Wed., Dec. 21. We’ve still got some sunshine left, as the 502 won’t have its first sunset before 7 p.m. until Wed., Oct. 19. 🍂 (The Courier-Journal)

Eat

Speaking of the first day of fall, Toasty’s Tavern’s new fall menu is here — and it’s bringing back cheese fries. It also has new vegetarian and vegan options like Merguez-spiced vegan meatballs + new cocktails. We can’t wait to try the blackberry spritzer with house-made Thai basil syrup.

Biz

Can we take you behind the scenes? This little blurb is called a Text Ad, and it’s one of the many ways that brands local to Louisville (and beyond) can reach you through advertising in LOUtoday. Learn more about how advertising (which helps keep this newsletter free to you) works here.

Trending

Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” broke records for new Prime memberships last week, with more sign-ups over a three hour period to view the Chiefs-Chargers game than on Prime Day, Black Friday, or Cyber Monday. Tonight’s game? Steelers vs. Browns. Join the party with a 30-day free Prime Video trial. 🏈 (CNBC)*

Community

Bourbon isn’t the only thing Louisville is known for — quite a few famous faces got their start in LOU. Find out which artists and entertainers had humble beginnings in our city. 🎤 *

Stat

1 in 7 adults use CBD products. If you’re looking for products locally, Encore Vapes & Smokes offers a wide selection of CBD products, Delta products, and more. Find a location near you.*

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

Travel and Outdoors

Bones and bourbon

The river level is low so the riverbed is exposed with green foliage, rocks and sticks. In the distance, you can see a defunct railroad trestle.

The Falls of the Ohio contains 390 million years’ worth of history in one of the world’s most accessible Devonian-age fossil beds. | Photo by @fallsoftheohiostatepark

In addition to September being Bourbon Heritage Month, it’s also Kentucky Archaeology Month.

To celebrate, several state agencies like the Kentucky Heritage Council + State Historic Preservation Office launched the Discover Kentucky Archaeology website, which is home to information on 100+ archaeological sites across 64 counties.

Kentucky’s archaeological record on the website spans from the Paleoindian Period (before 8000 BC) to the Industrial and Commercial Consolidation era from 1915-45.

Each entry includes a summary of the dig + a brief description of why each finding is noteworthy.

Here are two local opportunities to try your hand at excavation.

⛏️ Riverside Archaeology Day
This free dig on Sun., Oct. 23 includes artifact washing+ behind-the-scenes tours.

⛏️ Falls of the Ohio State Park
Explore 390 million years’ worth of history in one of the world’s most accessible Devonian-age fossil beds across the river in Clarksville, IN as you hike (or canoe) through the park.

THE WRAP

	Today’s issue was written by City Editor Sarah. Editor’s pick: I wanted to be an archaeologist so badly when I was a kid — I was really into learning about ancient Egypt at the time — so seeing the news about the Discover Kentucky Archaeology website re-lit my fire for natural history. If you’re ever trying to take the dig into your own hands, check out this guide to the best places for rockhounding in Kentucky. Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Play at 5 upcoming fall festivals here.
Read More

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Editorial: Sarah Shadburne, Katie Molck, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Kaylee Holland, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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