Notes Specific to this block: The
addresses 1311 through 1321 are vexingly problematic. We think
that the early addresses 1313, 1315 and 1317 may be the present day
addresses 1315, 1317 and 1319, because this triplex stylistically
seems to have been built at the same time, and the three all appear
in the directory around the same date (1893/1894). The problem
here is that the first of these addresses, 1313, disappears in 1909.
If 1313 was a separate building from the present 1315-1319, it would
have had to have stood where the present day alley is located....or
not.
Perhaps the present 1311 is a newer house on the
site of 1311 & 1313, or incorporates one or the other. Or 1311
is actually the old 1311, and another building north no longer
exists (there is a large enough gap for that.). But under
those scenarios, you'd have to believe the southernmost portion of
the triplex 1315-1319 was not built until 1911, even though it is a
mate top the northernmost part of the building.
And perhaps there were additional address number
changes made just to throw us off.
Additionally, the now vacant lot at 1321 is large
enough to have accommodated both 1319 (the one appearing in 1911,
maybe not the present day 1319) and 1321. There are enough
cuts in the retaining wall here to support this possibility.
We have not found any one explanation that perfectly
explains this row of houses. We're only making best guesses
based on house style and other physical features, but be aware that
its possible we could be off by an address or two on some of these.
Debbie Richards Cash at Landmarks once warned us that the early
addressing system on Old Louisville was a mess, and a lot of weird
things went on back then.
By the way, there are more questions on the other
end of the block which you can read about by clicking on those
addresses.
