The
Old Louisville Journal
A Monthly Summary of
News and Events in Old Louisville
Published by OLIC, Inc., a 501(c)(3) Corporation |
Volume 27, Issue 2 |
February 2005
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More Development on Oak…
Meuter Building to be Restored
Old Louisville residents, Jeff
Blanchard, Nathan Broom and Jon Coole have formed Oak Seed,
Incorporated for the purpose of renovating and managing the
125-year old Meuter complex on the southeast corner of Sixth
& Oak Streets.
They purchased the vacant structure in November, 2004, and
are now occupying and actively working on updating it. The
7,000 square-foot building is comprised of three residential
and four commercial spaces, including a 1500 square-foot
corner unit previously used as a neighborhood restaurant and
tavern.
What is now the Meuter building at 530 W. Oak was built in
1880 as a single-family home. The first floor was utilized
as an office for various professionals, including doctors of
medicine and dentistry. Later, the first floor was expanded
to fill the front and side of the lot, adding 600 square
feet to its footprint. To accomplish this, the entire north
and west load-bearing walls were removed and replaced with
steel columns and beams of timber, so that the ground floor
would be one large, open space.
In 1922, Frederick J. Meuter purchased the building and
opened a bakery. He demolished the wooden garage behind the
building in 1928 and erected a ceramic block and brick
carriage house. He later connected the main house and
carriage house with a stucco annex, completely filling the
530 lot. Meuter leased these additional units to such
businesses as a cleaners and a beauty shop for many years,
and rented out the second-floor carriage house apartments to
private residents. His bakery was successful; it was soon
expanded into a delicatessen and confectionery, and later
into a full-service restaurant.
In the mid 1960’s, Meuter retired and occupied the 1203 S.
6th St. apartment above 530 W. Oak, while leasing the latter
as a neighborhood tavern. 530 operated as the Old Limerick
Tavern until 1978, and was last used by Louisville Chair Co.
for chair making and storage; it has remained vacant for
almost two decades. Frederick’s son, Walter, who also
operated a brokerage and insurance business out of 1205 S.
6th from the late ‘70’s to early ‘90’s, inherited the
complex from his father in 1973, which included the adjacent
528 and 526 W. Oak lots. Walter Meuter left the buildings to
his son Craig F. Meuter. Craig sold them in 2004 to the
current owners.
Blanchard, Broom and Coole are presently renovating the
adjoining cottage at 528 West Oak, which will be available
for lease in March, 2005, and are concurrently clearing out
the corner tavern, in anticipation of preparing it for use.
They would like to see the space utilized once again as a
diner or café, and additionally as a venue for musical
performance.
Visit
www.oakseedinc.com for more information, photos and
schematics.

New Director Named for
St. James Court Art Show
The Saint James Court Association has
selected Marguerite Esrock as the director of the Saint
James Court Art Show. She has served as assistant to the
director for the past two years. The association will make a
formal announcement and introduction next month.
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News from the Property
Improvement Committee:
New Tool Given to Metro Code Enforcement Officers
By William P. Schreck, Director
Metro Louisville Department of Inspections, Permits & Licenses
The Mayor and the Metro Council have passed
amendments to the Property Maintenance Code which gives Code
Enforcement Officers (CEO) the discretion to issue an immediate
citation for violations.
In the past, CEOs could give notice and a specific number of days to
comply. If the tenant or owner did not comply, the CEO could
penalize them with a civil penalty or take the case to court for
compliance. The process was taking an inordinate amount of the
inspector’s time and the violations were lingering because of delays
in reinspecting the properties. The new process greatly reduces the
time by issuing citations, shortening the appeals time, and
emphasizing to the inspectors the expectation that property owners
and tenants should know that weeds need to be cut, signs need
permits, you can’t park in front yards(grass), etc..
Under the new amendments, the CEO can issue immediate citations for
such violations as rubbish, trash, vacant and open property, illegal
signs, vehicles parked on grass. The CEO is to use his/her
discretion as to whether to issue the citation. The CEO takes into
account whether the property has been a re-occurring violator of the
Code or if the violation is of such a scale to warrant a citation or
if by owner contact, the owner is willing to correct the violation
immediately.
There is a reasonable expectation on the tenant and property owner
to cut their grass, remove rubbish and keep their property to the
minimum standards of the property maintenance code. The ability to
issue citations anywhere along the inspection process gives the
inspector a tool to get the attention of violators. If the citation
is uncontested and unpaid, the amount becomes a lien on the property
or the tenant is taken to court. If the violation is contested and
upheld by the Code Enforcement Board the maximum fine of an
additional $100 is levied.
In an attempt to speed up the process, the appeal time for
violations and citations is now 7 days (formerly 20 days).
Higher expectations of tenants and property owners, citations and
shortened appeal process will all work to gain quicker compliance
and safer and cleaner neighborhoods.
Editor’s note: The Code Enforcement Officer for Old Louisville is
Michael Baugh. |
Be Informed…Interact…
Many Ways to Connect
to Louisville Metro
Community Conversations:
At Community Conversations, Mayor Abramson, department and agency
directors and Metro Council members meet directly with you to hear
your questions, concerns and ideas. Whether it’s a problem in your
backyard or a communitywide concern, Community Conversations are an
opportunity to have your voice heard and your needs met.
The next Community Conversation is scheduled at 6:30pm on February
28, 2005, at Portland Community Center, 640 N. 27th Street. For a
complete 2005 schedule of Community Conversations, access
www.loukymetro.org.
MetroCall:
MetroCall is the customer service and information center for
Louisville Jefferson County Metro where individuals can easily
access their local government. If you need to inquire about or
request services, offer suggestions or register concerns, MetroCall
can help! Just dial 311 or 502.574.5000 (TDD users dial
502.574.4091) and a service representative will answer your call
24hours a day, 7 days a week. E-mail MetroCall at
metrocall@loukymetro.org
Web access:
The Louisville Metro Government website:
www.loukymetro.org
connects you to government services, community resources, news and
events.
Find out how to get a building permit or what police district you’re
in. Check out proposed ordinances, Get maps of the neighborhood.
E-mail the Mayor and Metro Council.
MetroTV
MetroTV, Insight Cable Channel 25, provides programs and features,
coverage of metro Council meetings, news conferences, and special
events. The weekly schedule is online at
www.loukymetro.org.
Old Louisville Crime and
Safety Report:
Fourth Division - Sector One: Beats 1 and 2
By: Lt. Michael Brandon
Beat 1 (Old Louisville
area bounded by Broadway and Hill and I-65 and Ninth Street)
Auto theft- Overall the rate has dropped from 13 down
to 8. However, there is a significant concentration in the
area bounded by 4th street on the east, 7th street on the
west, Zane Street on the north, and Ormsby on the south;
there have been a total of 9 auto thefts in this area since
December 1st
There is a second concentration in the area bounded by 2nd
Street on the east, 4th Street on the west, St. Catherine on
the north, Ormsby on the south; there have been 7 auto
thefts in this area since December 1st
Burglary 2- Residential burglary dropped from 11 to 6
reported offenses during the month of January. Four of the
burglaries occurred on either Friday or Saturday. This is a
change from December when all burglaries occurred during the
week and primarily during the day time.
Burglary 3- Stayed consistent with 6 reported
offenses for both December and January, although it should
be noted that most occurred during the weekend
Robbery- Dropped from 3 in December to none in
January
Theft from Auto- Increase from 7 reported offenses to
8 in felony category and an increase from 8 to 11 in
misdemeanor category. More than half occurred between
Thursday and Sunday.
Beat 2
(German-Paristown, Schnitzelburg, St. Joseph, Old Louisville
south of Hill Street)
Auto theft- Down significantly from 16 to 6. Four of
the thefts that occurred during January occurred during the
weekend of the January 16. No other patterns noted.
Burglary- Dropped significantly from 38 to 19. There
were 21 residential burglaries in the Schnitzelburg area and
3 in the Germantown area during the month of December. In
the month of January, there were only 7 in the Schnitzelburg
area. However in the Germantown area they rose slightly from
3 to 5 offenses. There have been arrests and charges placed
in most of these cases.
Burglary 3 Dropped significantly from 21 in December
to just 6 in January. The majority of the offenses (19)
occurred prior to Christmas. The rate has returned to an
average level since Christmas
Criminal Mischief- Dropped from 10 to 8
Criminal Mischief to auto- Rose slightly from 8 to
10. Half of the offenses in January occurred on a Friday or
a Saturday. This is in line with the usual pattern of
weekend activity.
Robbery- Dropped from 4 to 2. There is no significant
time or geographic pattern. However, the majority involved
multiple suspects.
Theft from Auto- Felony theft dropped from 14 to 9.
During December, 13 of the felony thefts occurred before
December 17. Misdemeanor thefts dropped from 14 to 5. The
only pattern noted was that 4 out of the 5 misdemeanor
thefts occurred on the weekend.
TBUT- felony thefts remained steady. Misdemeanor
thefts dropped from 12 to 8 with 5 of the offenses occurring
during the weekends.
Definitions:
Burglary 2 – entering or remaining in a residence
with intent to commit a crime
Burglary 3- entering or remaining in a building with
intent to commit a crime
Criminal mischief- damage to property - 1st degree is
a felony 2nd and 3rd are misdemeanors
Robbery- theft by use of force
TBUT- theft by unlawful taking, theft with out the
use of force
New Offer on Centennial Dinner
Photos
The response to last month’s offer for copies of photographs of last
October’s Central Park Centennial Dinners and the 2004 Holiday House
Tour was underwhelming: zero.
Prices have now been drastically reduced: 4x6 and 5x7 color prints
can be ordered at the Old Louisville Information Center for $0.29
and $1.29 respectively. Photos are also available for free via
e-mail.
Visit or call (635-5244) the Old Louisville Information Center for
further information.
Protect Your Car…
Free Clubs and Etching
Offered to Old Louisville Residents
Councilman George Unseld and the 4th Division of the Louisville
Metro Police Department invite Old Louisville residents to receive
the club, an anti-theft device for vehicles and/or have the VIN
number etched on their vehicle’s window on Saturday, February 12,
2005, from 9am until noon at the firehouse at Sixth and Hill
Streets.
Having a vehicle equipped with a club or etchings usually results in
a reduction of up to 15% in insurance premiums.
No reservations required. The free clubs and etching will be
provided on a first come-first serve basis. Proof of Old Louisville
residency required.
Contact Donna Sanders at 574-1106, for more information
Sam Wilson Wins Poster Contest
Old
Louisville resident, Samuel Allan Wilson, won first place at the
primary level (grades K-3) in a poster contest sponsored by the
Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA). He was awarded a
$100 savings bond at the JCTA annual Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.
program at Louisville Male High School on January 27, 2005.
“Creating the beloved community” was the theme for this year’s
contest. Sam’s poster included twelve separate sketches
symbolizing a caring community. Policemen, firemen, and a
barbershop were among the images. A copy of the poster is
currently on display at the Old Louisville Information Center.
Sam, who will turn 6 years old in May, is a kindergarten student
at Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Montessori Elementary School. His
favorite activities at school are helping younger students learn
and Writers’ Notebook, where he can draw and write. Sam lives
with his mom and dad, Madonna and Doug Wilson, and his Akita
dog, Arata. His interests include basketball, soccer, and
baseball.
Sam says he loves Old Louisville because it is peaceful and
quiet, has wide spaces, and it is where he has lots of friends.
He loves flying gliders in Central Park with his dad, and really
enjoyed sledding in the park after last December’s snowstorm.
Sam also enjoys playing with his Old Louisville neighborhood
friends, Colin, Martin, and Nathaniel.
Sam is a community volunteer; he served as a van jumper on both
days of the 2004 Old Louisville Holiday House Tour. He made
$18.00 in tips for his service in helping people enter and exit
the vans. Sam also helps with attaching mailing labels to copies
of the Old Louisville Journal. He often visits the Old
Louisville Information Center.
Taking after his mom, a design architect, and dad, an architect,
Sam wants to be a builder and architect when he grows up.
Filson Historical Society Schedules
Lectures
The Filson
Historical Society has scheduled two lectures for February at the
Society’s headquarters, 1310 South Third Street. The lectures are free
and open to the public. Call 635-5083 for reservations.
Women at the Front: Hospital Workers in Civil War
America,
Jane E. Schultz
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18 - NOON
As many as 20,000 women worked in Union and Confederate hospitals during
America’s bloodiest war. Black and white and from various social
classes, these women served as nurses, administrators, matrons,
seamstresses, cooks, laundresses and custodial workers. Jane Schultz
provides the first full history of these female relief workers, showing
how the domestic and military arenas merged in Civil War America,
blurring the line between home front and battlefront. Schultz uses
government records, private manuscripts, and published sources by and
about women hospital workers, some of whom are familiar – Clara Barton,
Louisa May Alcott and Sojourner Truth – but most of whom are not well
known. Examining the lives and legacies of these women, Schultz
considers who they were, how they became involved in wartime hospital
work, how they adjusted to it, and how they challenged it. Schultz is
associate professor of English, American studies, and women’s studies at
Indiana University – Purdue University – Indianapolis.
D-Day Tragedy: “Love you dearly”
Hugh Ridenour
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24 - NOON
Step back into the early 1940s, a time when you could buy a Coca-Cola
for a nickel, go to the movies for 25 cents, tune in to Jack Benny on
the radio, and listen to Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust.” This touching
narrative of a young Kentucky couple’s wartime romance is recorded in
more than 700 letters with the revelation of its tragic end on June 6,
1944, chronicled in the bereaved widow’s diary. A son’s 20-year
emotional journey to “find” the father he never knew completes this
poignant tale. Hugh Ridenour is a historian and author from Hanson, Ky.
This program is funded in part by the Kentucky
Humanities Council, Inc. and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Click here for this month's
Meeting's Calendar
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The Old Louisville Journal is
published monthly by the Old Louisville Information Center, Inc.
(OLIC), a 501(c)(3) corporation, incorporated in 1984, for the
purpose of receiving tax deductible contributions. OLIC is
affiliated with the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council (OLNC), a
501 (c) (4) non-profit association incorporated in 1976 to serve as
the recognized voice of the Old Louisville Neighborhood.
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contributions to the Editor:
Old Louisville Information Center
1340 S. Fourth St., Louisville, KY 40208.
Phone: (502) 635-5244
E-mail: olnc@bellsouth.net
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Please submit “Letters to the Editor” to the above address.
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