Preservation Through the Lens by Scott Stacy



photo by Scott Stacy



Ever since the era of the Civil War, Louisville has gained respect not only for being the main gateway to the South but also for its importance in the field of rail and river trade. Louisville is a tycoon of manufacturing - one of the largest homes to tobacco markets in the world, and a city that brewed some of the finest whiskey that single-handedly shot Kentucky whiskey sales to the top. Louisville has a prominent place in the pork-packing industry and in the manufacturing of cast-iron gas and water pipes.This city has a distinct character, a nonconformist spirit that is palpable throughout its neighborhoods.

           From the Court House and City Hall (the latter of which is mainly recognized from its square clock-tower) to Churchill Downs, Cave Hill Cemetery, and the sprawling fountains that grace the grounds Cherokee Park, Louisville is an art gallery in itself. A simple bike ride around Louisville will show you the expansive yet overlooked beauty of the city. Louisville has a rich collection of history that is reflected through its buildings and everyday people. However, the great deal of renovation and expansion in Louisville these past few years has reduced many important buildings and historical areas to weedy, vacant lots and parking garages.

        Architecture is a way mankind expresses his ambition to establish a place for himself among the untamed and wild framework of nature. When our eagerness for change and our greed to profit from development accelerate in too short a period of time, the builders of our age leave no room for the importance of history, no room for memory. For instance, the old strip of buildings on West Main Street in downtown Louisville is known as The Iron Quarter, or Whiskey Row. This strip was home to Louisville’s first whiskey businesses and was also the first prominent example of cast-iron facades in the city. I have had my eye on Whiskey Row for some time now, documenting it through photographs because I was sure it was dog-eared for demolition.

        These buildings are irreplaceable artifacts of Louisville’s history that I have been trying to preserve through the rawest and most tangible form of memory: photography. I cannot stay away from these beautiful places that are slowly being destroyed. One of the most striking buildings in Louisville now barely stands at 1633 W. Jefferson St. and 17^th. The Ouerbacker Mansion was built in 1864 by a coffee merchant named Samuel Ouerbacker, in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. This building is threatened for demolition, and would take almost a million dollars to restore it to its former grandeur.

        I believe that it is my duty and responsibility to document and salvage what is left of Louisville’s oldest architecture, and preserve these places the best I can through my photographs. The value of the beauty of these places is far greater than that of the buildings that would replace them if these areas were developed. These newer urban developers are convinced that all these old buildings must go to make room for buildings that will keep up with the times. In short, the developers are making room for a newer city. I am not disagreeing with development, but we must protect and preserve the history that is slowly disappearing before us. Development becomes damaging rather than progressive when it sacrifices our historical artifacts for more economical and artless buildings. Louisville is a city of progression, but we cannot brush our city’s most valuable art – its historical buildings and architecture - under the rug. We need not only to salvage this history but respect it too, and that’s what I intend to do through photography: to bring awareness to those who aren’t attentive to what is happening to our city’s irreplaceable treasures. Next time you are out and about in the city, really look at what gave our town its identity and most valuable characteristic: the art that built this city, that makes it Louisville.