Sunday, July 5, 2009

107-109 W. Main


Built in 1905, this was originally the J.T.S. Brown & Sons building. Brown & Sons were a whiskey company that eventually transmogrified into the Brown-Forman company we know and love today.

The building was designed by Dennis Xavier Murphy, who also designed Waverly Hills Sanitarium.

After prohibition shut down the Browns, there was a grocer here and then a coffee company, and then the place has sat dead since 1960, amazingly. It's one of the most strikingly beautiful facades on the block, with yellowy-golden trim that still looks shiny and shimmery today.

Supposedly this whole block is to get a facelift and a new lease (no pun intended) on life with fancy loft condos, but that's something that's been yapped about endlessly and never seems to happen. We continue to wait and hope.



3 comments:

  1. I'm thinking it would be a great market complex like the one in Seattle. We'll never see anything like that here though...

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  2. I'm ok with whatever as long as they dont tear themdown

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  3. According to more recent news, the interior and Washington Street facade of the building are slated for demolition, but the Main Street facade will thankfully be preserved. I for one am glad that the much-hyped Whiskey Row revitalization has finally taken off... it's almost halfway there, folks!

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