The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
Tales of Elvis and ‘Gatsby’: 10 historic downtown buildings
Cultural staples that make for a great walking tour
From inspiring F. Scott Fitzgerald, to rocking with Elvis and even gambling with Al Capone, Louisville has an interesting tapestry sewn into its downtown streets. While downtown has seen massive strides of redevelopment, there’s also some brick-and-mortar buildings that have been part of the city’s skyline for decades – or even centuries. ● Whether you’re mining ideas for a walking tour or just itching to hear about bygone celebrities’ local excursions, here are 10 cultural staples of Louisville’s downtown landscape.
Seelbach Hotel’s ties to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’
Once frequented by raucous authors and hard-boiled gangsters, the Seelbach Hilton Louisville has been the ideal of luxury living in Kentucky for over a hundred years. The hotel was founded by Bavarian-born brothers Louis and Otto Seelbach in 1905, with the brothers using ornamental touches from around the world - bronze from France, hardwood from the West Indies, Irish linens and Persian rugs - to bring the hotel to a level of opulence that would attract visitors en masse.
During the 1920s, one of those visitors was Al Capone, who routinely visited the hotel for gambling and bootlegging. According to the Seelbach’s website, Capone’s favorite room is immortalized with a few of his personal touches, such as a large mirror he’d sent from Chicago. That room also has hidden doorways behind panels the lead directly into secret passageways.
The Seelbach is also widely known to have served as inspiration behind F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatbsy.”
While training in the army at Camp Taylor, Fitzgerald is said to have used his weekend passes to visit the Seelbach to relax and sip on bourbon. He was even allegedly banned from the hotel at one point due to his behavior after having one drink to many.
During his visit, Fitzgerald met George Remus, a gangster that became the model for Jay Gatsby. His experiences in The Seelbach’s elegant rooms inspired Fitzgerald to use the hotel as a model while writing the classic American novel.
The hotel pays homage to Fitzgerald with Gatsby’s on Fourth, an in-house breakfast spot.
The Old Bank of Louisville: Former bank turned playhouse
At nearly 200 years old, the Old Bank of
Louisville’s brick and mortar is actually fashioned out of brick and limestone. Built in 1837, the building’s tall columns and palmette motifs stand out among Louisville’s architecture for its clear Grecian influence, as noted by the Kentucky Historical Society.
The building once served as the headquarters of the Louisville Credit Men’s Association, but it has become part of the local performing arts scene by housing Actors Theatre of Louisville.
The Cathedral of the Assumption’s spirited spire
For Louisville’s Cathedral of the Assumption, the sky is far from the limit. With a night sky painted across the broad ceiling and a steeple rising as high as 287 feet, the building has become synonymous with the city’s downtown skyline.
It was erected on South Fifth Street in 1852 and was the tallest spire in North America at that time. Its coronation window is also one of the oldest surviving examples of hand-painted stained glass in the country.
The cathedral is one of Louisville’s oldest public buildings and the thirdoldest Catholic cathedral in the United States in continuous use, according to its website.
Louisville’s Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Temple
The long, illustrious history of the Louisville Scottish Rite actually predates its home inside the temple tinged with Grecian architectural influence on East Gray Street. Before settling into the building, the fraternal organization was housed in various places across the city, including a brief stint in a former Courier Journal building located on Jefferson Street between Third and Fourth streets in 1876.
According to its nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places, the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Temple features a large, double-story auditorium, flanking office space and a Blue Lodge room – where Masonic members historically are known to host meetings.
‘Lit up like Levy’s,’ a building that inspired a Louisville turn of phrase
The Levy Building has not only been a long-held staple in the city’s downtown but has been part of Louisvillians’ lexicon for decades. The expression, “Lit up like Levy’s,” was used by residents to describe the sight of a lively, nighttime illumination. It’s based on the
Levy Building formerly being outlined by bright, electrical lights.
Constructed in 1893 at the corner of Third and Market streets, the building was once home to one of the most indemand department stores in the city, the Levy Brother’s Clothing Store. The storefront stayed open for decades before closing in 1979.
Today, the building houses the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant as well as residential spaces.