Rostrum at Cave Hill National Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky

Located in the "military section" of the Cave Hill National Cemetery, this structure is all the remains of a rostrum constructed in 1898.  It was once a speaking platform for the various remembrance events and ceremonies held in this section of the cemetery.  It has not seen use in a number of years, and though somewhat conserved, it has fallen into relic condition.

Lawrence Family Cemetery, University of Louisville, Kentucky

Located on the grounds of the University of Louisville "Shelby" campus, this picturesque cemetery is little known and largely overlooked.  Before the forty days of snow started, I went over to check it out and take these photos.  It's like something from a movie...

Heigold House Facade, "The Point" in Louisville, Kentucky

This facade is all that remains of the old Heigold House, built in 1853. We recently poked around it for a photo tour.  Check out our shots of this strange place....

Glenview Post Office, Former Trainstation - Louisville, Kentucky

Glenview, Kentucky, is located just east of downtown Louisville.  What serves today as a post office was actually once the town's interurban trainstation.  It has been carefully preserved, keeping its unique character and old-style charm

Abandoned Sinclair Triceratops Dinosaur, Louisville, Kentucky

Something of a local icon, this fiberglass triceratops has been in Louisville, Kentucky, for decades.  Property of the science center, it is currently in the parking lot of a factory in the downtown area.  It is still owned by the Louisville Science Center, but its future and conservation is unclear.  Join us as we explore some of its history.

Amtrak Train Car, converted into office, Louisville, Kentucky

Located in downtown Louisville, this Amtrak car is hidden amongst vines and industrial buildings.  Little known, it has been preserved and converted into office space, invisible to those who don't know where to look.

Demolished Iron Front Facades on Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville has several claims to fame, most involving athletics.  An outlier, perhaps, is Louisville's pride in its iron front buildings along main street.  Much effort is put into preserving them, even if that means that only their facades survive, as is the case along part of West Main Street.  Join us today as we look at these strange structures.

Abandoned bridges on River Road, Louisville, Kentucky

Tracing the Ohio River along the northern boundary of Jefferson County, Kentucky, River Road has a large number of abandoned and bypassed bridges.  Today we will explore a few, starting with this vintage stone structure crossing Goose Creek.

Ruins of Frankel Memorial Chapel, Louisville, Kentucky

 

Built in 1905, the Frankel Memorial Chapel was located in the rear of the Adath Israel cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.  After years of apparent neglect, the roof of the building collapsed during sort of repair attempt in the summer of 2012. The debris has all been removed, perhaps for recovery and reuse, but the building itself is still little more than a shell despite the passage of almost a year.

Abandoned Modern Living Building, Portland - Louisville, Kentucky

 

 Located in the Portland neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky, the old Modern Living furniture store building has long been a local fixture of the area.  Long since abandoned, the former storefront building has been turned into a warehouse.

Abandoned Ouerbacker Mansion, Louisville, Kentucky

Crumbling in western Louisville, the abandoned Ouerbacker Mansion is one of the most at risk architectural treasures in the region.  Built in the 1860s, this building is on the few remaining local examples of the Richardsonian Romanesque style. 

Abandoned Quinn Chapel Church, Louisville, Kentucky

Located near the intersection of 9th and Chestnut Streets in downtown Louisville, this abandoned Gothic Revival church most recently housed the Quinn Chapel African American Methodist Episcopal Church.  Today it sits empty, decaying near two of the city's busiest streets, rarely noticed except by the occasional passersby.  But, it wasn't always so...

Ruins of abandoned industrial site, Louisville, Kentucky

 At one time, Louisville Kentucky was a thriving industrial town.  Even today, there is a fair amount of manufacturing capacity scattered throughout the town.  But like all towns in the rust belt, abandoned factories are scattered throughout its boundaries, like headstones in some industrial-age graveyard.  The set of ruins that we are examining in the photo set are of an unknown origin, but like many others we've seen lately, they are on their way out.

Abandoned Philip Morris factory, Louisville Kentucky

Cigarette maker Philip Morris closed its production operations in Louisville in 1999.  After more than a decade of disrepair and abandonment, the city has decided to raze the final remaining structures on the site.  Updated 10/24/13 with more photos.

St. Stephen's Cemetery, Louisville, KY

Rather than go swimming in the nearby pool, I took advantage of the Memorial Day holiday to visit an interesting and unusual local cemetery, St. Stephen's, located just east of Old Louisville.  It is a worthwhile visit, should you find the time and inclination.

Abandoned Shelbyville Road Bridge, crossing Floyd's Fork in Louisville, KY.

This old double-arch concrete bridge lies slightly to the south of the current US-60/Shelbyville Road bridge.  The age of it is unknown, but the current bridge appears to date from the 1990s.  My guess is that this structure probably dates from the 1920s, give or take a little bit.

Abandoned Eastern Cemetery and Crematorium - Louisville, Kentucky

Eastern Cemetery is located on Baxter Avenue in Louisville, KY next to the infamous Cave Hill cemetery.  The cemetery suffered from years of horrible mismanagement before being abandoned and left to the mercy of vandals.  Volunteers now take care of the cemetery doing what they can, but it still sits in what is incredible, although improving disrepair.  An old building with a crematorium and chapel sits in the back of the cemetery.  It was  at one point a squatter's paradise, but has now been repainted and all the entrances bricked up.  I have included photos of the crematorium before and after a clean up done a few years ago.