Lithgow Building, 301 West Main Street, Louisville

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS KY,56-LOUVI,10H-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Constructed in and the Lithgow Building was the most magnificent building in Louisville on its opening. Designed by Henry Whitestone, it demonstrates a hitherto unknown late period of design work. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History 1. Date of erection: Commenced February 15, opened June 26, 2. Architect: Henry Whitestone. Henry Whitestone was one of the most prominent Louisville architects of the Civil War period. He was born in July of at Cloudegad House, Ballynacally, County Clare, Irei-nd. Following training in Ireland in the field of architecture he emigrated to America. Following his arrival in he became associated with Isaiah Rogers, working with him on the Capital Hotel in Frankfort, Kentucky and on the first Gait House Hotel in Louis- ville.

He chose to remain in Louisville and maintained an office in the city as well as one in Cincinnati, which he closed in He retired from active practice ten years before his death in The bulk of his practice was comprised of residences for many of the prominent citizens of Louisville. He was especially proud of these residences and boasted that virtually all the houses in Louisville designed in the Italian Renaissance style we.-e by his hand. Those residences by him which have been documented are as follow: Hunt-Hite Residence Ford Residence Ford Residence T Newcomb Residence G. Baurman Residence J. Bridgeford Residence White-Carley Residence. Joseph Tompkins Residence.,., Silas B. Miller Residence Lithgow Building HABS No. (Page 2) J. Breed Residence pre-1870 Newcomb Residence , .. E.D.

Standiford Residence Barbour-Graff Residence . "Rosewell" (Barbour-Middleton-Blodgett Residence) "Ivywood" (Allen Richardson Residence) Ford Cottage . "Bashford Manor".,. Wilder Residence) "Landward House"... (Stuart Robinson Residence) Engelhard Residence Other buildings designed by Henry Whitestone are as follow: Second Gait House Whitestone Architectural Office Smith Building , Tompkins Store ca. Louisville Board of Trade Louisville and Nashville Railroad Office Louisville Medical Institute. House of Refuge Tompkins Mausoleum, Cave Hill Cemetery Irvin Mausoleum, Cave Hill Cemetery 3. Original and subsequent owners: The Lithgow Building is located on lot 100 of block 15-E.

The following references tracing the title of this lot are found in the Jefferson Countyf Kentucky Deed Books: Deed, June 19, recorded in Deed Book page James S. Lithgow bought a lot from Samuel Cassidy, beginning on the north side of Main Street at a point 23 feet from the northwest corner of the intersection of Third and Main Streets, thence running westward 22 feet and 4 inches, thence running northward 145 feet, thence running westward 7 feet and 2 inches, thence running northward 33 feet and 2 inches, thence running eastward 52 feet and 6 inches, thence running southward 29 feet and 2 inches, thence running westward 23 feet, thence running southward 149 feet to the point of beginning, for the sum of Deed, July 21, recorded in Deed Book page Lithgow bought a lot from William T.

Wallace and Mary E. Wallace, located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Third and Main Streets, fronting 23 feet on Main Street and 149 feet on Third Street, for Lithgow Building HABS No, (Page 3) Deed, April 1, recorded in Deed Book page Lots sold by Lithgow and Hannah Lithgow of the first part, by Henning and Joshua F. Speed, trustees of the second part, and by Stephen E. Jones, Henning, and Joshua F. Speed, assignees in bankruptcy of the third part to w. C. DePauw of the fourth part of plus remainder of mortgage. Deed, August 8, recorded in Deed Book page Lots conveyed to the Louisville Board of Trade by DePauw, DePauw, and Fannie M. DePauw.

Deed, August 19, recorded in Deed Book page The Louisville Board of Trade bought a lot from Belknap at the rear of the building, fronting on Third Street 32 feet and extending westward 52 feet and six inches, at a cost of Deed, March 21, recorded in Deed Book page 75. Weinbaum and Philip Weinburg bought building from the Louisville Board of Trade for Deed, March 16, recorded in Deed Book page The Louisville Board of Trade bought building from Philip and Dora Weinburg and Henry and Hattie Weinbaum. Deed, July 15, recorded in Deed Book page The Scotch Realty Company bought the building from the Louisville Board of Trade for Deed, October 24, recorded in Deed Book page The Kontucky-Indiana Realty Company bought the building from the Scotch Realty company.

Deed, March 16, recorded in Deed Book page The Urban Renewal and Community Development Agency of Louisville bought the building from Eli Brown and Sons, Inc. (formerly Kentucky-Indiana Realty Company), for 4. Builder, contractor, suppliers: Jacob Smyser was the superintendent of construction. Bowling Green White Stone Company supplied limestone for exterior covering. 5. Alterations and additions: Repairs made to building including new glass doors at main entrance and partitions on the third floor. New Exchange Hall at rear of building built and completed February 1, Lithgow Building HABS No. (Page 4) designed by Charles J. Clarke, cost Shortly after completion of Exchange Hall a fire starting in the basement caused damage. Another fire of minor nature caused further damage.

The building was repaired each time. Remodeling of building including addition of two stories on the portion north of the stairway; removing the stairway and putting it and the new elevators in the court of the northwest side of the hall, utilizing the space thus acquired for new offices; refitting the large Exchange Hall on the second floor, making it a grand meeting hall suitable for meetings of the employees, as well as the Director's rooms, and a large room to be used for a commercial library; refitting the old part of the building in such a manner as to give the whole a fresh and new appearance - the entire work costing about and resulting in about thirty-four new offices for rental purposes.

Eli Brown III began renovation costing including air-conditioning and steam cleaning of the exterior. Dick Construction Company did the remodeling and Dorothy Walton did the redecorating. By November two automatic elevators were installed, a Third Street entrance lobby designed by Jaspar D. Ward was created, and a ground floor restaurant, the Sign of the Bull and the Bear, was enlarged and redecorated. A mural from a building at 420 S. Fifth Street, now demolished, was installed in the Bull and the Bear Restaurant in the Lithgow Building. Martin Shallenberger, a Louisville painter, restored the mural. He also painted scenes of corn, hemp, sugar cane and tobacco on the restaurant's lobby panels.

These scenes were nostalgic reminders of exchange activities that once took place in the old Board of Trade Building. The dining room was decorated with a three-panel painting by Wayne Begley, a former University of Louisville student. B. Historical Context: The Lithgow Building, erected in at the cost of was one of the important commercial buildings in Louisville for the use of offices. it was ideally located on Main Street, which was the heart of the thriving central business district. The building housed the growing and prosperous firm of copper, tin and sheet-iron business called James S. Lithgow and Company. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pa., the building's first owner, James S. Lithgow, later became one of the most outstanding and beloved citizens of the city of Louisville.

To pay construction costs Lithgow mortgaged the building, still uncompleted, to George Bissell, a banker and insurance man from Hartford, Connecticut, for Then the Spring Lithgow Building HABS No. (Page 5) financial crisis caused Lithgow's business to fail, and Lithgow was forced to turn over the entire property, including the unfinished building, as security to trustees Joshua Speed and James Henning. As part of the pact Lithgow agreed to assume responsibility for completion of construction of the building. When the payment was due in Lithgow failed to do so, and consequently James S. Lithgow and Company was officially declared bankruptcy. On March 30, the property was put on the public auction block.

Even with the bankruptcy and the loss of his property Lithgow successfully paid his personal debts and even continued his business until he died in at the age of 90. At the auction and DePauw Glass Company of New Albany, Indiana purchased the building, for plus remainder of mortgage held by Bissell. Four years later, in the building was sold to the Louisville Board of Trade for the price of the mortgage. The Louisville Board of Trade played a very important and active role in local commerce. The Board, organized in by leading merchants, manufacturers and businessmen, provided general public and business community daily reports of freight transactions and of the stock and produce markets, and civic and commercial projects.

With the advent of the telephone in the late century, the Board of Trade Building was no longer the Exchange Hall for "business transactions. It now "became an assembly hall. By the early in the name of progress. Main Street was no longer the business center of the city. In Board of Trade merged with the Commercial Club, and a new location was sought. Because of the mortgage, the move to a new location was prevented until when the mortgage was lifted. In the former Board of Trade Building was sold to Weinbaum, a retired real estate dealer, and Philip Weinberg, a merchant tailor, for The building was used for investment purposes by leasing it for office space.

In Eli Brown, III, sold the building to Louisville Urban Renewal Agency for The new owner planned demolition of the building for urban renewal; it was not demolished until James S, Lithgow, the man responsible for the erection of the building, was born in Pittsburgh, Pa. November 29, In April of he was apprenticed to a copper and tin smith. In December he came to Louisville where he was employed by Messrs. Bland and Coleman. Four years later he returned to Pittsburgh to care for his ailing mother. Following her death he returned to Louisville in October where he entered into a partnership with a Mr. Wallace. They continued in the copper, tin and sheet-iron business for twenty five years. A fire in created a loss of and severly set the firm back.

However, recovery was rapid and by a foundry was erected on the river front Lithgow Building HABS No. (Page 6) at Second Street. Following its destruction by fire in a new foundry was erected in at the corner of Main and Clay. Streets. Following the death of Mr. Wallace Lithgow gained full interest in the firm which prospered greatly. Prom until late century Lithgow held various high-ranking positions: chief of the fire department; mayor of the city from to president of the Northern Bank of Kentucky^ director of the Louisville Water Company; and director of the Louisville, Frankfort and Lexington Railroad and of the Elizabethtown and Paducah Railroads. He was married to the former Hannah Cragg of Ohio. Their union produced eight children, of whom six survived; Elizabeth Clark 0.

Smith), Fannie Jacob L. Smyser), Alice M. Muldoon), Hannah J. Kennedy), Walter (who died young), and Linnie Mitchell). Lithgow outlived his wife by several years. PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION General description: The building's front gray limestone facade has exquisite classical features- a rov of pink marble columns between windows in all of the four floors. These "windows are set back and have segmental arches, whose bases rest on the capitals of the columns. The main entryway, accessible by a stoop, projects on the first floor only and is finished with a handsome cornice. Unusual pendant drops are employed on the main cornice. A parapet resembling a balustrade is atop the flat roof.

Rectangular windows on all other facades are not set back and have segmental lintels, instead of segmental arches. # PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION A. Early Views Letterhead. Lithgow Manufacturing Company, Original filed in Henning and Speed, et al vs. Lithgow, Louisville Chancery Court, Suit Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. New York: Frank Leslie, June 5, Drawing of interior of the busy Exchange Hall by Walter Gouter reproduced in Raymond C. Riebel's Louisville Panorama, Louisville, Liberty National Bank and Trust Co. 3rd ed. rev. p. Caron's Illustrated Business Directory of Louisville, New Albany and Jeffersonville. Louisville: Courier-Journal Job Printing, Co. and Smith, p. 62. Illustrated Louisville: Kentucky's Metropolis. Louisville: Acme Publishing and Engraving Co., p. 60.

Lithgow Building HABS No. (Page 7) B. Bibliography 1. Primary and unpublished sources: Deed Books, County Clerk's Office, Jefferson County Courthouse, Louisville, Kentucky. Douthitt, Elizabeth A. "History of the Board of Trade Building", Jones, Elizabeth Fitzpatrick. "Henry Whitestone, Nineteenth-Century Louisville Architect", May Master's Thesis, University of Louisville. 2. Secondary and published sources: Johnston, J. Stoodard, Memorial History of Louisville from its First Settlement to the Year Chicago: American Biographical Publishing Co., Vol. 1, p. Williams, L. A. History of the Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties. Cleveland: L.A. Williams, p. Louisville Board of Trade. Annual Report, Louisville Board of Trade pp. 26, 27, 33; p. 28. Louisville Board of Trade, Journals March vol.

10, no. 3, p. 4. Newspaper articles: "Local Brevities," Courier-Journal, March 5, "Louisville Board of Trade," Louisville Daily Ledger, June 26, "Hon. James S. Lithgow," Louisville Daily Ledger, June 26, "Removal of Board of Trade Into Their New Quarters," Louisville Commercial, June 26, "Board of Trade," Louisville Daily Ledger, June 27, "Board of Trade," Louisville Commercial, June 27, "Louisville's New Departure," Courier-Journal, June 27, "The Straitened Firms," Courier-Journal, March 27, "Assignee's Sale," Louisville Daily and Weekly Commercial, March Lithgow Building HABS No.

(Page 8) "Board of Trade, Dedication of the New Building," Courier- Journal February 6, "End Comes," Courier-Journal, March 27, "Trade Building Sold," Louisville Civic Opinion, April 4, "Trade Board in New Home," Louisville Times, April 6, "Board of Trade Building is Sold for Louisville Times March 3, "Refurbishing Gives New Look to Old Home of the Board of Trade," Courier-Journal, June 8, "Art Plays Role in the Renovation of Old Board of Trade Building," Cour ier-Journal, November 6, Pardue, Leonard, "Renewal Agency Offers to Sell Old Trade Edifice," Louisville Times, April 29, Prepared by: David Arbogast Project Historian Historic American Buildings Survey Summer and Susan McCown Historian Historic American Buildings Survey Spring PART IV.

PROJECT INFORMATION The project was undertaken by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in cooperation with the Preservation Alliance of Louisville and Jefferson County, Inc. Under the direction of John Poppeliers, chief of HABS, the project was completed during the summer of at the HABS Field Office in Louisville by Prof. John Haggard, (Syracuse University), Project Supervisor; David Arbogast (Columbia University), Project Historian; Mary Oehrlein, Project Foreman; Bayer Lee (City College of New York), Architect; and Mary M. Herd (University of Tennessee) and Charles Raith (University of Cincinnati) , student assistant architects.

Susan McCown, a HABS staff historian in the Washington, office, edited the written descriptive data in the spring of for transmittal to the Library of Congress. HABS staff photographer Jack E. Boucher took the photographs of the structures in