Whiskey Row refers to a block-long stretch from 101 to 133 W. Main Street that once served as home to the
bourbon industry in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
. The collection of
Revivalist and
Chicago School-style buildings with cast-iron storefronts were built between 1852 and 1905. In 1857, the buildings were built and used to store whiskey barrels that had been produced from the distilleries nearby. On a list of Louisville Most Endangered Historic Places, the buildings were slated for demolition in 2011, but an agreement between the city, local developers, and preservationists saved Whiskey Row.
Numerous distilleries would transport whiskey barrels to the Louisville market for sale by train or wagon. Main Street became so extremely populated with whiskey firms that it decided to name the buildings Whiskey Row. Due to the countless roles that Kentucky played in the liquor market, it later became the leading producer for distilled spirits. Some of the top liquor companies such as Brown Forman, Greenbrier Distillery, John T. Barbee, amongst other major companies have their offices and businesses in Louisville.
Fire
On July 6, 2015, a fire partially destroyed three of the Whiskey Row buildings extending from 111 to 115 W. Main Street. Developers vowed to continue redeveloping the properties. The accidental fire began in the basement of one of the buildings that were at the time being renovated. The workers who had been renovating the building were trying to peel away old cast iron piping by using acetylene torches and grinders. According to Maj. Henry Ott, of the Louisville Fire Department, he believes that the slag left behind from these tools dropped and smoldered. Once the fire started from the basement, it made its way up to the rest of the building and across to the two others. Thankfully, the buildings were vacant and there were no injuries.
Today
As of today, the Whiskey Row buildings have been renovated into Old Forester Distillery (its original 1880s home at 119 West Main Street), luxury apartments, restaurants, and retail businesses. When the entire Whiskey Row project is finished, the 100th block of Main Street will include a distillery tourist attraction, two upscale hotels, and a huge retail outlet.
Article in "Courier-Journal"
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Gallery
House of Weller.jpg, Front of the House of Weller, located at 121 W. Main Street
Trade Mart Building.jpg, Front and western side of the Trade Mart Building, located at 131 W. Main Street
J.T.S. Brown and Son's Complex.jpg, Front of the buildings in the J.T.S. Brown and Son's Complex, located at 105-109 E. Main Street
See also
*
* West Main District (Louisville)
The West Main District is one of the five districts of downtown Louisville, Kentucky. The district, or a portion of it, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as West Main Street Historic District, due to its containment of some o ...
* Henry Whitestone, architect of one or more of the buildings
*
References
{{coord, 38, 15, 23, N, 85, 45, 09, W, type:landmark_region:US-KY, display=title
19th-century buildings and structures in Louisville, Kentucky
Bourbon whiskey
Warehouse districts of the United States
Local landmarks in Louisville, Kentucky
National Register of Historic Places in Louisville, Kentucky
Warehouses on the National Register of Historic Places
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky
Chicago school architecture in Kentucky