Old Louisville And Its Victorian Mansions
Old Louisville has become one of the most desirable areas of the city to live. Starting as a suburb called the Southern Expansion in the 1870s by wealthy citizens, it was renamed Old Louisville in 1960. With the growth of the city, it has become a more centralized neighborhood. Its borders are Broadway south to the University of Louisville's Main Campus and then west of Interstate 65 to 14th St.
Because of the wealth, and following what was en vogue, at the time, the majority of the homes were Victorian Mansions. Old Louisville has been listed as the third largest historic preservation district, in the United States, and the largest featuring Victorian Homes. Old Louisville also has the largest concentration of residential buildings with stain-glass windows. Eventually, the mansions were abandoned as it became increasingly difficult to keep the high number of servants, it took to maintain the home, employed, or the extension of streetcar and railroad lines, the residents of Old Louisville moved further away from downtown, so there was a sharp decline in population.
In the early 1900s, many of the mansions were remodeled into boarding houses and then, during World War II, more were changed into apartments. Most of the homes are still maintained as apartments, but single-family homes are also available.
Extensive revitalization efforts have taken place, to draw a new demographic to Old Louisville. These efforts have worked and with the number of apartments and its proximity to both the University of Louisville and downtown, Old Louisville has become a neighborhood sought by college students and young professionals, creating a diverse population.
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