The Pink Palace is a private residence, one of the most popular in Old Louisville, that sits on the corner of St. James and Belgravia Courts. This beautiful, pedestrians-only area was developed by William Slaughter, who designed it to resemble the residential parks of London, with a central fountain and esplanade.

The towering house itself was built in 1897, in the style of French palaces featuring details of Ecletic and Chateauesque, to accommodate the gentleman's club and casino. Unfortunately, the club enjoyed the Palace only for a few years before it was sold to a new owner. In 1910, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) — one of the driving forces behind prohibition — purchased The Pink Palace (a red brick building at the time), unaware of its former life as a brothel. When the history of The Pink Palace was revealed to the WCTU, the women were so embarrassed they decided the only way to wipe the house’s slate clean was to paint it the bright shade of pink which still decorates the walls today. Later, the property was purchased by a family who turned into their home.

Resplendent in its pink glory, for all neighbors to see and for all St. James Court Art Show patrons to ogle in envy, The Pink Palace nonetheless has the reputation of being haunted. Over 100 years since construction, the surrounding area is still the quiet, beautifully green space, just as William Slaughter intended it to be.

St. James Court forms the northern part of the St. James–Belgravia Historic District, within Old Louisville. This neighborhood was originally the site of the Southern Exposition held 1883-1887 on 23 acres of open land south of Central Park, surrounded by a wealthy residential neighborhood. The Exposition was essentially the World Fair of the time; it ran annually for five years and highlighted innovations of the day. Thomas Edison personally turned on the switch to light the Exposition with the largest display of electric lighting outside of New York, and the electric trolley car premiered here, riding delighted passengers through lighted tunnels on the adjoining DuPont estate, now Central Park.

Upon the conclusion of the Exposition, the land was developed as "Louisville's first example of thoughtful urban site-planning." The design of residential rows that face not a street but the green pedestrian mall became a model for other areas of the city. Thus St. James, Belgravia, and Fountain Courts were born, becoming some of the most recognized landmarks of Louisville. Together, they make one of the most beautiful and recognizable areas of the city. On St. James Court, stately Victorian homes make an oval frame around two lush shaded greens centered by a magnificent bronze fountain. At night, the area is lit by the soft glow of gas light: a setting to soothe the soul.

St. James Court and the entire surrounding area come to life in a remarkable way every year on the first weekend of October for the St. James Court Art Show. After more than four decades, it has become one of the largest open air art shows in the country, with about 700 artists, artisans and craftsmen exhibiting and selling paintings, drawings, sculptures, textiles, art glass, pottery, jewelry and much more. Several hundred thousand people make their way to Old Louisville each year to enjoy the event as well as the fall colors and elegant Victorian surroundings. The St. James Art Show is free.

In 1972, the district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Conrad-Caldwell House, or Conrad's Castle, is a historic, Victorian mansion set in the heart of Old Louisville, on St. James Court. Today it serves as a museum. Commissioned by Theophilus Conrad, a rich local businessman, the house was built by famed Louisville architect, Arthur Loomis, in 1895. Boasting a striking Richardsonian Romanesque exterior, the castle-like structure is one of the finest examples of this architectural style and symbolizes the progressive spirit and Victorian grandeur of Louisville’s Gilded Age.

Surrounded by a beautiful courtyard neighborhood, Conrad's Castle featured all the latest innovations of its day, including interior plumbing and electric lighting. Known for its beautiful woodwork and parquet floors, this massive Bedford limestone home, covered with gargoyles, beautiful archways, and elaborate stone designs, incorporated seven types of hardwoods and magnificent stained glass windows in the interior design, making it one of the most stunning dwellings in Old Louisville.

After the owner's death, the mansion was bought by the Caldwell family who lived here for 35 years. After the Caldwells, the house was used as a shelter for the Rose Anna Hughes Presbyterian Retirement Home. Currently a museum, its Victorian interiors are lovingly restored and preserved, featuring a wealth of period items, including many original pieces belonging to both families.

Why You Should Visit:
A site of cultural and architectural significance in Louisville, a standing testament to the abundant lifestyle of the owners, Theophile Conrad and William E. Caldwell, two of Louisville's most prominent businessmen and entrepreneurs.
A distinguishing marker in America’s largest concentration of Victorian homes.
A step back in time enabling to learn more about the era and the neighborhood.

Tip:
Guided tours of the museum are run on a “first come – first served” basis; no reservations accepted for groups less than 10. Advanced reservations are necessary for groups of 10 or more. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the door, 30 minutes prior to each tour. Children aged under 5 enter free of charge. On the third Thursday of every month, the museum offers extended times, at 5pm & 7pm, for its third Thursday Twilight Tours. The tours last from 60-90 minutes. Donations are greatly appreciated.

The Filson Historical Society (formerly the Filson Club) is named after early Kentucky explorer, John Filson, who wrote “The Discovery, Settlement, and Present State of Kentucke” which included one of the first maps of the state. The Filson's primary founder was Col. Reuben T. Durrett. In May 1884, he and nine other prominent Louisville residents, including Gen. Basil W. Duke, Judge Alexander Pope Humphrey, and Richard H. Collins, founded the Club in a bid to preserve Kentucky's past. Pursuant to their goal, the Filson maintains a small museum, one distinctive possession of which is a section of American beech tree trunk, with the carved legend "D. Boon kilt a bar [killed a bear] 1803."

In the early 1910s, after Durrett's health had seriously deteriorated, he decided to sell his collection to the University of Chicago. Most of the Filson's holdings, which were not part of the purchase, went to Chicago as well, so the Club was forced to start again.

Since 1946, the Filson has amassed a collection of over 1.5 million manuscript items and over 50,000 volumes in the library. Additionally, it has accumulated an impressive collection of Ohio Valley portraits and over 10,000 museum artifacts. The general public has access to the Filson's vast resources, which provide valuable source material for books, articles, dissertations, and other work. The Filson also presents a variety of programming, including public lectures and academic conferences. In 1986, the Society moved to its current location on Third Street in Old Louisville. The building is called Ferguson Mansion and was constructed between 1901 and 1905 by Edwin Hite Ferguson. Upon its completion, the Mansion was declared the most expensive home in the city.

In 1991, Thomas Walker Bullitt willed his farmhouse and immediate historic properties to The Filson Historical Society.

Old Louisville is a historic district and neighborhood in central Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is the third largest such district in the United States, and the largest preservation district featuring almost entirely Victorian architecture. It is also unique in that a majority of its structures are made of brick, and the neighborhood contains the highest concentration of residential homes with stained glass windows in the U.S. Many of the buildings are in the Victorian-era styles of Romanesque, Queen Anne, Italianate, among others; and a large number of blocks have had few or no buildings razed. There are also several 20th-century buildings from 15 to 20 stories.

Old Louisville features the largest collection of pedestrian-only streets of any U.S. neighborhood. Eleven such "courts", where houses face each other across a grass median with sidewalks, were built in the neighborhood from 1891 to the 1920s. Most of the courts are centered off of 4th Street. Belgravia Court and Fountain Court were the first ones to be built in 1891 and are the most well known. Later ones included Reeser and Kensington (1910), which were built with large Victorian styled apartments instead of single family homes; and Eutropia and Rose Courts, which were the last ones built in the 1920s and featured small, single story houses. Belgravia and St. James Court were completely rehabilitated as a part of the urban renewal that began in the 1960s. These developments are apparently unique to Louisville.

Two of the three major four-year universities in Louisville are located adjacent to Old Louisville, with Spalding University to the north and the University of Louisville to the south. DuPont Manual High School, a public magnet school, and Presentation Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school, are two other well-known schools located in Old Louisville.

The neighborhood contains The Filson Historical Society, Louisville's Central Park, which features the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival every summer, the Actors Theatre of Louisville Production Studio, and the Conrad-Caldwell House. Old Louisville hosts the renowned St. James Court Art Show on the first weekend in October. The area of 6th and Hill Streets in the neighborhood was the setting of the best selling novel Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch by Louisvillian Alice Hegan Rice. Today there is a non-profit counseling and services center, named Cabbage Patch Settlement House for the novel, on 6th Street at Magnolia Avenue, which serves children of low-income families. During the Christmas holiday season a number of private homes are toured in the Old Louisville Holiday Home Tour. With the publication of books about the spirited past of Old Louisville, the area has recently gained a reputation for being "the most haunted neighborhood in the country."

Fourth Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, also known as Fourth Avenue United Methodist Church, is a historic temple in Louisville. The present congregation of the Church had its start in 1888 when members of the Walnut Street Methodist Episcopal Church South united with members of the Chestnut Street Church.

By January 1902, the congregation had grown to 472 members and the present sanctuary was built, featuring new main facade complete with the remains of the old building, dating back to 1888, which were deemed significant as "an exceptional example of Gothic Revival ecclesiastical architecture". In 1922, a Sunday School Annex was added, and the entire church complex underwent major renovation following Louisville's flood of 1937. The newest annex of the church is the Sallie Smyser Chapel erected in 1957.

The sanctuary was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and is still known throughout Methodism as one of its most beautiful places of worship.

Fourth Street Live! is an entertainment and retail complex located on 4th Street, between Liberty and Muhammad Ali Boulevard, in Downtown Louisville. It is owned and was developed by the Cordish Company; it was designed by Louisville architects, Bravura Corporation. Fourth Street Live! first opened to the public on June 1, 2004, and all stores were completed for the grand opening on October 30, 2004. City planners hoped that the district would attract further commercial business development while providing an attractive entertainment venue for the city's hotel and tourist business as well as the local population.

The large Hard Rock Cafe sign greets visitors to Fourth Street Live! Restaurants and entertainment venues in the complex include Gordon Biersch Brewing Company, Hard Rock Cafe, T.G.I. Friday's, Birracibo, The Sports & Social Club (bowling alley and restaurant), Tavern on 4th street, The Fudgery and the new bourbon raw bar.

Fourth Street Live! also has a variety of bars and nightclubs including Tavern on Fourth, The Sports & Social Club, Howl at the Moon, and PBR Louisville. A mall-style food court is also located in the complex with restaurants like Subway, and Philly Station. There are also retail stores including Footlocker and T-Mobile.

Traffic on 4th Street through the complex is usually closed for large public gatherings such as music concerts and other events.

The University of Louisville's annual "Run for the L of It" 5K begins and ends at Fourth Street Live. Also, the finish line of the Louisville Ironman Triathlon, which debuted in 2007, is located at Fourth Street Live. The Venue also holds annual events celebrating the Kentucky Derby and was the "Cup Village" when Louisville hosted the 2008 Ryder Cup and often holds pep rallies and celebrations for the University of Louisville's athletic teams including for the teams that made the 2005 Final Four, 2007 Orange Bowl, and the 2007 College World Series. During the Summer, Fourth Street Live hosts Summer Concert Series, which is a series of concerts featuring top national acts. A Mardi Gras parade, Halloween trick-or-treating, and a New Year's Eve celebration are other annual events which are popular at the venue.

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.

Saint John United Church of Christ was founded in 1843 by the German community of imigrants who came to Louisville. Initially, the church was called Saint John's Evangelische Kirche. The present church was built later, in 1867, to replace the first, smaller one. The church is in Gothic Revival style. In 1885, the first bells and the tower clock were attached. The beautiful steeple was installed in 1966, at the 100th celebration of the sanctuary. The interior of the church has a fabulous organ and numerous frescoed windows reflecting scenes from the bible.

Saint Joseph's Church was built in January 1866 after the Catholic community in Butchertown decided that they needed a church close by. Right Reverend Peter J. Lavialle, Bishop of Louisville was the one who dedicated it. The building has the tallest spires in Louisville. The red brick structure of the church is ornate with numerous splendid statues and decorations representing saints and other religious symbols. It was designed in Gothic Revival style, featuring portals of three entrance doors and a rose window, flanked by two high, gabled bell-towers. Saint Joseph's Church is a real pearl in Butchertown's panorama.