Old Louisville is True Blue Kentucky may be Republican red, but Old Louisville is definitely Democratic blue. George Bush carried Kentucky 60% to 40%; Metro Louisville voted for John Kerry 50% to 49%; John Kerry carried Old Louisville 79% to 18.9%. Election results for other races in the precincts that make up the Old Louisville also reflected the longtime strongly Democratic nature of the neighborhood. Incumbent Republican Senator Jim Bunning won the State of Kentucky 51% to 49% over Democratic challenger, Daniel Mongiardo. Metro Louisville voted for Mongiardo over Bunning 60% to 40%. In Old Louisville, Mongiardo won 83.2% to 16.8%. Anne Northup won the Third Congressional District race 60% to 38% over Democratic challenger, Tony Miller. Old Louisville gave 61.9% of its vote to Miller, 33.8% to Northup. 65.9% of Old Louisville voters rejected the amendment to the Kentucky Constitution which bans gay marriages; Metro Louisville approved it 60% to 40%. Statewide approval was 75% to 25%. For a precinct-by-precinct breakdown of the vote for these and other races, access www.oldlouisville.com/politics/election2004.htm

OLNC/OLIC Elections on December 16 Elections for Old Louisville Neighborhood Council and Information Center officers and Information Center Board members for 2005 will take place on Thursday, December 16, 2004, at 7pm in the Old Louisville Information Center. Candidates will be introduced prior to the election. Holiday refreshments will be served after the election. Members in all of Old Louisville’s 13 neighborhood associations as well as those with individual memberships in the Neighborhood Council are eligible to vote. Nominees for Old Louisville Neighborhood Council and Information Center Officers are: Chair: Chuck Anderson Vice Chair: Ken Herndon Secretary: Jan Morris Treasurer: Rhonda Williams Nominees for the five Old Louisville Information Center Board member positions are: Charlie Baker Peggy Cummins Karen Keller Gary Kleier Zane Lockhart Aaron Lucas Leah Stewart Helga Ulrich Madonna Wilson The nominees were presented at the November OLIC and OLNC Board meetings by Nominating Committee Chair, Mary Martin. Other committee members included Chuck Anderson, Jackie Brown, Peggy Cummins, Zane Lockhart, and Dot Wade. No additional nominations were offered from the floor.

December Chair Notes:
Central Park Centennial Draws to a Close

The Old Louisville Holiday House Tour featuring the mansions surrounding Central Park earlier this month marked the last event in the year-long celebration of the Central Park Centennial.

It all started back on April 10, with the annual Central Park Improvement and Clean-up session to spruce up the park for its birthday.

The celebratory kick-off was a wine and cheese reception at the Conrad-Caldwell House Museum on Friday, June 4, followed by a neighborhood-wide picnic in the park on June 5, and an ice cream social and a double First Sunday Concert on June 6. Centennial t-shirts sold like hotcakes. Commemorative pins and posters were also available. A Centennial Tennis Tournament ran June 2-6. The weather cooperated beautifully that weekend: sunny, temperatures in the 70s, and low humidity!

In July, the Second Street Association Hidden Treasures Garden Tour featured gardens in homes surrounding or near the park.

In September, the winners in the Central Park Centennial Photography contest were announced at a reception in the Information Center. The exhibition, Central Park Centennial 1904-2004: 100 Year Retrospective, opened in the Information Center with a gala reception on September 28. In early December, the exhibit was moved to the third floor of the Conrad-Caldwell House Museum where it will be on permanent display for visitors.

October saw the park graced by many of the horses from Gallopalooza just in time for the Saint James Court Art Show. Visitors to the art show and those attending the National Preservation Conference were offered refreshments and hospitality in the Information Center. The Rob Nickerson Jazz Ensemble and Phatt Labb brought the 2004 First Sunday Concert series to an exhilarating end on art show weekend.

The neighborhood also celebrated the park’s future with the formation of the Old Louisville Information Center Friends of Central Park Committee. Thanks to many caring and generous friends and neighbors throughout Metro Louisville, Friends was able to raise $15,000 in less than a month last spring to match a similar sum from the Olmsted Parks Conservancy to fund an update of the Central Park master plan. The plan will be a blueprint for the restoration and improvement of the park in its second century and will be the basis for future fundraising projects. A meeting will be held in January to discuss progress on the plan. Look for the date in the January Old Louisville Journal.

Speaking of restoration, the law firm of Middleton Reutlinger awarded Friends a gift of over $5,000.00 to purchase and plant flowering wisteria along the park’s pergola. This will eventually recreate the arched arbor of wisteria which covered the pergola in the early 20th century. A planter at the end of the pergola also received new plants of holly and hostas thanks to Middleton Reutlinger.

Friends was also responsible for what many consider the most successful and exciting evening in Old Louisville’s history, the Centennial Dinners held at 18 homes and venues on October 16. The elegant after-dinner champagne and dessert reception at the Filson Historical Society capped an event which raised over $10,000 for the park.

As mentioned elsewhere in this issue, the annual Old Louisville 5k Run also celebrated the park’s centennial on November 20.

The year was quite a party. We did ourselves proud. Thank you everyone.

John Sistarenik

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All We Want for Christmas is an
Old Fridge….
The Old Louisville Information Center has a refrigerator on its wish list. The table top version in use for many years has always been too small to store ice, water, and soft drinks used for Center meetings.
      Contact the OLIC at 635-5244 if you have an old refrigerator you are willing to donate. Donations to the OLIC are tax deductible.

Old Louisville
Gets a New Resource Officer
      Officer Andrea Brown has been named the Louisville Metro Police Fourth Division Resource Officer for the Old Louisville neighborhood. She was introduced by Lieutenant Michael Brandon at Old Louisville Neighborhood Council Property Improvement Committee meeting in November.
       Tara Long, who held the position for 11 years, has been reassigned as the resource officer for the southern portion of the Fourth Division.
       Officer Brown, who previously served in the former Third District, can be reached at 574-7010 or Andrea.Brown@LMPD.Loukymetro.org.  She would be happy to speak to neighborhood groups about her duties and the LMPD.

 

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Centennial Run Draws a Crowd

Over 170 runners and walkers showed up at the Old Louisville Information Center on a cloudy, mild morning on Saturday, November 20, 2004, for the 26th annual Old Louisville 5K Run through Central Park.

Sponsored by the Cherokee Road Runners and the Old Louisville Information Center, this year’s race also celebrated the Central Park Centennial. Refreshments after the race included a big Central Park birthday sheet cake and delicious dessert breads baked and donated by Peggy Cummins, OLIC Board member.

The walk was something new this year, and although only 15 people walked the course on St. James Court, Belgravia Court, Sixth, Magnolia, and Fourth Streets, it will be scheduled for next year with hopes of increasing the number of participants.

The commemorative t-shirt was designed by Old Louisville resident, Tim Bottorff, and featured the park’s pergola. It was so favorably received that the design will become the permanent logo for the race, replacing the row house motif of past years.

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No PIC or ZALU in December The Old Louisville Neighborhood Council Property Improvement and the Zoning and Land Use Committees will not meet this month. Happy holidays; see you in January

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Stuart Apartments
Restored to Former Glory

The Stuart Apartments are back!

An open house was held on Saturday, November 13, 2004, to celebrate the completion of a 10-month historic restoration and renovation by baja works Development Corporation of the Stuart Apartments on the northwest corner of Sixth and Oak Streets.

Neighbors’ reviews were overwhelmingly positive with many noting the spaciousness and sunlight in the apartments.

After years of neglect, the imposing Tudor-style structure has been remodeled into 20 units of 1-3 bedrooms. Several of the units feature spiral staircases to second floor bedrooms; all are equipped with stacked clothes washers and dryers, the latest kitchen appliances and abundant closet space. First floor units retain configurations which will allow conversion to retail space in the future, if necessary.

Roberto and Roberto Joseph, father and son partners in baja works, have restored several properties in Old Louisville. They have big plans for the northeast corner of Sixth and Oak across the street from the Stuart Apartments; in early 2005, they will begin construction of a three-story building with commercial/office space at street level and residences on the floors above. baja works will relocate its offices to the new building.

Susan Coleman Resigns from the Art Show

Susan Coleman has resigned her position as director of the Saint James Court Art Show effective April 1, 2005, after serving for ten years. No replacement has been named at this time.

Susan says that managing the art show made it increasingly difficult to concentrate on her family and her graphic design firm, Articulations. And with the show ranked the best in the nation, it seemed a good time to pass the torch and go out on top. Susan looks forward to being very active as one of the two parent representatives on the site-based decision-making council at her daughter’s elementary school. Leander’s, a new restaurant at First and Oak Streets, will put additional demands on her time.

St James has undergone significant and successful changes during Susan’s tenure.

She implemented a jury process during her first year as a more professional way of attracting better quality exhibitors. The number of applications has increased by 25 percent each year since 1995.

The increased number of quality exhibitors has resulted in improved rankings from all of the major art show rating services. Sunshine Artist Magazine ranked the show number one in the nation this year.

Susan was instrumental in obtaining a web page for the show. With thousands of hits in the months prior to the show, it has proven to be a successful, inexpensive advertising and marketing tool.

The show is now in the process of converting to an online application system. St James is partnering with nine other shows to develop and fine tune this system. It uses digital images instead of slides. An artist’s status is posted online eliminating the need for acceptance or rejection letters.

Susan has been especially successful in securing sponsorships for the show. Liquor Barn began a substantial five-year sponsorship of the show this year. This enabled the Art Show Consortium to make a very generous contribution to the Old Louisville Information Center’s Friends of Central Park Committee to help fund an update of the park’s master plan. Sponsorships for artists’ awards and for the volunteer corps attract more participation in the show.

As a design artist, Susan has donated her time and expertise to design and implement a promotional piece for the show, develop a new logo, and upgrade the show’s marketing and public relations.

St. James Court Art Show School Day, a project encouraged by Susan, seeks to inspire future artists and promote arts programs in public schools. Two or three St. James artists visit 10 elementary schools for a day. Art teachers subsequently direct classroom projects in which students create works based on techniques or ideas demonstrated that day. JCPS displays these works at the art show.

Susan’s legacy is an event which is a major economic and artistic force in the neighborhood and Metro Louisville.
 

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Submit Journal contributions to the Editor:
Old Louisville Information Center
1340 S. Fourth St., Louisville, KY 40208.
Phone: (502) 635-5244
E-mail: olnc@bellsouth.net
Advertising rates available upon request.
Please submit “Letters to the Editor” to the above address.
The 15th of each month is deadline for submission of all ads and articles.

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