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98º | 10% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 6:31 a.m. | Sunset 9:05 p.m.
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Rollin’ on the river

The history and future of Louisville’s Waterfront Park
A black and white image of the Louisville waterfront with horsedrawn carriages and steamboats
This photo from ~1870 shows heavy riverboat traffic, almost a hundred years before the Belle of Louisville came to town. | Photo courtesy ASC, UofL
They don’t call it River City for nothing.

The Ohio River runs through Louisville’s history from the very beginning. Some of the earliest settlements that would become Louisville formed where river traffic was forced to travel by land around the Falls of the Ohio, reembarking in what is now Louisville’s Portland neighborhood.

In the 1800s and early 1900s, the downtown waterfront was mostly home to industrial buildings and junkyards. River and railroad traffic was prolific, but use of the local waterfront was made nearly impossible by pollution + infrastructure.

louisville's waterfront with riverboats and a haze of smoke

This 1922 photo shows a Louisville waterfront shrouded in smoke from steamships + smokestacks.

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Photo courtesy ASC, UofL

One of the first proposals to improve the waterfront came in the 1930s from urban planner Harland Bartholomew, but Waterfront Park as we know it started in 1986 with a cooperation between Jefferson County, the City of Louisville, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Development unfolded in three distinct phases over ~30 years.
  • Phase I broke ground in 1991 and saw the construction of the Great Lawn, Wharf and Festival Plaza, and Harbor Lawn.
  • Phase II lasted until 2004 and added the Brown Forman Amphitheater and its lawn along with more walking paths, picnic, and play areas.
  • Phase III ended about 10 years ago with renovations on the Big Four Bridge and its lawn, the Lincoln Memorial (featuring the no-longer-hatless statue by Ed Hamilton), and a swing garden.

Looking downstream

Waterfront Park is still expanding, and it’s not the only development slated for the Derby City waterfront in coming years. Phase IV of construction is currently underway, extending Waterfront Park into the Russell and Portland neighborhoods.

Two images of downtown Louisville alternate showing before, an interstate with nothing below, to an after rendering of a green space with pink trees and overlook.

An observation deck, experiential learning area, exercise area + more are planned in Phase IV.

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Images provided by Waterfront Park

In addition to Waterfront Park expansions, the Downtown Partnership unveiled its Downtown Development Strategy earlier this year that includes a proposed “large-scale activation” for The Belvedere. The 2024-2025 Louisville budget allocates $10 million to that project.
Asked

What was the Belle of Louisville’s original name?
A. Avalon
B. Becky Thatcher
C. Idlewild
D. Mississippi Queen
Ship us your guess
 
Events
Monday, July 15
  • Step into History Walking Tours | Monday, July 15 | 10:30-11:45 a.m. | The Frazier History Museum, 829 W. Main St., Louisville | $0-$14 | Join Patty Morris, a former history teacher, for a 10-block, 75-minute long walking tour of downtown Louisville.
Tuesday, July 16
  • Croce Plays Croce | Tuesday, July 16 | 7:30 p.m. | The Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway, Louisville | $40.95-$87.75 | Hear A.J. Croce celebrate the 50th anniversary of his father’s final album, “I Got A Name.”
Wednesday, July 17
  • A Gnome Summer - Paint Party | Wednesday, July 17 | 6-8 p.m. | A Purposeful Ponte Studio, 1939 Goldsmith Lane, Ste. 216, Louisville | $35 | No experience necessary to paint your very own garden gnome portrait — all supplies provided.
Thursday, July 18
  • Mag Bar Music Fest 2024 | Thursday, July 18-Sunday, July 21 | Times vary | Magnolia Bar, 1398 S. 2nd St., Louisville | $20-$50 | Hear local bands play all weekend at this iconic Old Louisville location.
Friday, July 19
  • Pickin’ in Paristown | Friday, July 19| 6-9 p.m. | Paristown, 720 Brent St., Louisville | Free | Cut a rug — or bring your own lawn chair — at this free outdoor concert series, this week features Mama Said String Band.
Sunday, July 21
  • Get The Led Out | Sunday, July 21 | 7:30 p.m. | Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway, Louisville | $43.29-$72.54 | Grab tickets for this celebration of “The Mighty Zep” and pay homage to the unparalleled legacy of Led Zeppelin while rocking out to the music that defined an era.*
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
 
Health

📱 The phone number every Louisvillian should have in their contacts
an image of a hand holding a phone that displays wait times at UofL Health ERs
Emergencies happen when you least expect them — have this number on hand to help. | Photo courtesy of UofL Health
Did you know? UofL Health has seven emergency rooms in the area (read: the most in the region).

Every second counts in a medical emergency. With short wait times, UofL Health ERs offer convenient solutions to Louisvillians facing a crisis.

Pro tip: Louisvillians can access ER wait times at their fingertips. How? Simply text ERWAIT to 511511.
Find the closest ER to you
News Notes
Traffic
  • Starting today, Kentucky’s “Move Over” law applies to all stopped vehicles, rather than just emergency vehicles. Basically, if you’re passing a stopped car with its four-way flashers on, move over a lane or significantly slow down if you can’t — just like you would for an emergency vehicle. (Louisville Public Media)
Sports
  • UofL track + field athlete Jayden Ulrich will be competing in the discus throw for the US at the Paris Olympics, which start later this month. The women’s discus qualifiers throw down on Friday, Aug. 2 at 12:55 p.m. and 2:20 p.m. (WHAS11)
Eat
  • Renshoku Ramen will be hosting hot dog pop-ups at Old Louisville Brewery (625 W. Magnolia Ave.) on Thursday, July 18 and Thursday, July 25 as it continues to recover from a fire last month. Bonus: Try the brewery’s mocktails for the rest of “dry July.”
Community
  • Starting today, Louisville Parks and Recreation is hosting Monday morning litter walks to help keep our parks clean. Show up at the designated park at 9 a.m. on Monday — bags, pick sticks, gloves, and safety vests will be provided. Next week’s cleanup is at Carrie Gaulbery Cox Park.
Watch
  • The Vietnamese Community of Louisville will host free showings of the documentary “Boat People” on Saturday, July 27 at AMC Stonybrook (2745 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy.) and Sunday, July 28 at St. John Vianney church hall (4839 Southside Dr.). Director Thanh Tam will be at both screenings for a Q+A.
Listen
  • Cardinals football is working hard to replace valuable players like Jawhar Jordan. Get game coverage, analysis, insights, interviews and more from local experts of the Cards with Locked On’s daily podcasts.
Drink
  • Did you know? 500 Main is Angel’s Envy online platform for invitations to exclusive events, behind-the-scenes content, Q+As with experts, and more. Psst… We’ll let you in on a secret: It’s free to join.*
Eat
  • Spend more time enjoying your meals than preparing them when you replace your knife + cutting board with the Fullstar Veggie Chopper. It dices, slices, and spiralizes veggies in seconds.*
Finance
  • If your Saturday consisted of mowing the lawn, deep-cleaning the patio, or heading to Home Depot, here’s one more responsible task to add to your to-do list: Move your credit card debt. This card offers 0% interest on a balance transfer until nearly 2026, plus 2% cash back on purchases.*
 
The Buy
🛍️ Special edition alert. The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale launches today, meaning top fashion, luxury beauty, and home items are seriously discounted.

This Kate Spade New York leather crossbody bag is $68 off.

Get Nike high waist leggings $25 off.

Le Creuset’s 7.5-quart enameled cast iron brazier is $172 off.

Get a glossy Béis suitcase $75 off.

If you’ve been eyeing an LED light therapy mask, the Dr. Dennis Gross Pro LED Light Therapy Device is $186 off.
More worth The Buy
 
The Wrap
 
Declan Lowthian.jpg

Today’s edition by:
Declan
From the editor
The “Move Over” law isn’t the only house bill that went into effect. Starting today, Kentucky’s official rock and official mineral have been tumbled.

Coal was the official mineral, but geologically speaking it’s actually a rock. Now that’s official, with calcite taking on the mineral mantle. But the prettiest of them all is the Kentucky agate, now our official gemstone.
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