Whiskey Row, Louisville

Whiskey Row is a historic, block-long stretch from 101–133 W. Main Street in Downtown Louisville that once served as a home to the local bourbon industry. Numerous distilleries would transport whiskey barrels to the Louisville market for sale by train or wagon. Main Street became so extremely populated with whiskey firms that it was decided to collectively name its inhabitants – whiskey shops and distilleries, as well as facilities used to store whiskey barrels – Whiskey Row.

In essence, it represents the collection of Revivalist and Chicago School-style structures with cast-iron storefronts dating back to the 1852-1905 period. All the buildings in this quarter utilized cast iron architecture, but the styles of the structures differ. Besides New York's SoHo district, the Iron Quarter, which is the other name of Whiskey Row, has the biggest number of cast iron structures. The most talented architects who worked on the design of the buildings here were John Andrewartha, Henry Whitestone and Dennis Xavier Murphy.

On a list of Louisville Most Endangered Historic Places, these buildings were slated for demolition in 2011, but an agreement between the city, local developers, and preservationists saved Whiskey Row. On July 6, 2015, a fire partially destroyed three of the Whiskey Row buildings extending from 111–115 W. Main Street. Thankfully, the buildings were vacant and no one was hurt. Developers vowed to continue redeveloping the properties afterwards.

Presently, Whiskey Row has been renovated into Old Forester Distillery, luxury apartments, restaurants, and retail businesses. Upon completion, the Whiskey Row project is due to include a distillery tourist attraction, two upscale hotels, and a huge retail outlet. Recently, the quarter obtained the status of National Landmark.