Director's Take

Dear friend of Downtown,

I am constantly in awe of and impressed by developers… people who see the value of bringing a project, sometimes really big ones, to fruition for a variety of other businesses and/or users. Even when those businesses might get the longer-term credit after the original announcement.

If it weren’t for developers, Louisville’s downtown would look a lot different. Thank goodness for people who aren’t risk averse, who have the ability to see what could be, and who are willing to invest their money and be creative with funding sources for projects that aren’t always a sure thing before they are built. Developers can be scrappy, with the patience and flexibility to work on a project for years, and often with many changes.

Downtown got a big shot in the arm in the mid-1990s when Slugger Museum moved back over to this side of the river (yes, the Louisville Slugger was made in southern Indiana for 25 years), after local developers shared their vision of an old warehouse that would eventually anchor the redevelopment of historic West Main Street. Since then, developers have continued to amaze and impress, with projects such as 21c, Fourth Street Live!, Frazier History Museum, Whiskey Row, several housing developments, and so many more projects in between.

Last year, not even one year out of the heart of the pandemic, Downtown experienced new investment and announcements of more than $1 billion! If that’s not a solid demonstration of confidence in Downtown, I don’t know what is. I mean it, these guys and gals deserve every clap on the back you can give ‘em.

And if you don’t know any of these projects or wonder why developers are so interested in Downtown, please come take a look and let me show you. See you on the streets soon!