Hart Block, 728 West Main Street, Louisville

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

An excellent example of the late phase of cast-iron commercial facades, the Hart Block remains essentially as constructed, a testimony to the durability of cast-iron when properly maintained. It is also one of the most elaborate cast-iron facades remaining in the nation. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History 1. Date of erection: This date, found on iron plates attached to the bases of the building's piers, coincides with deed dates. 2. Architect: Charles D. Meyer. The son of John C. Meyer, a Louisville architect from to his death in Charles Meyer was born in Germany. Following his graduation from the Technische Hochschule von Deutschland in h emigrated with his family to Louisville where his father established his practice, taking on his son as an apprentice.

Following his father's death, Charles gained primacy in the firm. His work was primarily executed for the large German population in Louisville at the time. His major buildings are as follow: Schurman Block Walling Block, Fifth Street Frank Fehr Brewing Co., ice plant Schaefer-Myer Brewing Co., brewery Falls City Market Hall Normal School Store of Fannie Sternau, Market near Shelby Charles Rosenheim Store, east of Hart Block German Insurance Bank Germania Safety Vault and Trust Co. The Ohio Falls and Leather Co., tannery German Reform Church,, Huntingburg, Ind. Masonic Home Chapel Residence of Albert Reutlinger, cashier of German National Bank HART BLOCK HABS No. (Page 2) Residence of Henry Stegman, First Street near Lee Street Residence of Frank Menne, Broadway Residence of J. E.

Kellner, Broadway near Floyd Street 3. Original and subsequent owners: The Hart Block is built on lot 136 of block in the City of Louisville. The following references to the title of these lots are found in the Jefferson County, Kentucky Deed Books, Deed, October 1, recorded in Deed Book page L. Leonard, trustee, W. H. Fox, Virginia E. Fox, and W, R, Fox sold a lot approximately with existing storehouse to L. W. F. Hart for Deed, October 2, recorded in Deed Book page Susa T. Green sold the second of three lots composing the site of the building to L. W. F. Hart for Deed, October 29, recorded in Deed Book page Jane M. Dobbin, Leonard D. Dobbin and Julia Dobbin, James F. Dobbin and Alice Dobbin, and Rosalie D. Armistead and Louis C. Armistead, all by John S.

Miller, Commissioner of the Louisville Chancery Court, sold the third lot composing the site of the building to L. W. F. Hart for Deed, September 27, recorded in Deed Book page Robert N. Hart and Virginia Hart, Ada Louise Hart Ross and Charles D. Ross, Mary C. Hart Woolsey and Harold Woolsey, and Gertrude D. Hart Hillerich and John A. Hillerich, heirs of L. W. F. Hart, sold the building to Jacob A. Hilderbrand, Lee Hildebran -, and Sidney Hildebrand, partners in the firm of Hildebrand end Co. Deed, October 11, recorded in Deed Book page Jacob Hildebrand, Lee Hildebrand, and Sidney Hildebrand, partner in the firm of Hildebrand and Co. conveyed the property to Hilco Enterprises, incorporated. 4.

Builder, contractor, suppliers: The Merz Architectural Ironworks Company of Louisville cast the iron facade. 5. Alterations and additions: The interior of the Hart block has been altered and remodeled numerous times.. However, its original function as warehouse has been maintained, thereby retaining a basic integrity to the interior. The exterior, with the exception of paint color, remains as constructed. The only major change in the exterior facade occurred in when the tornado demolished a large sheet metal false pediment which read, "Hart Block and was located above the central major pavilion. HART BLOCK HABS No. (Page 3) PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION General description: Classical treatment is employed on the cast-iron facade.

All five floors of the building have slender columns with modified Corinthian capitals, which are placed between windows. Lintels, vertical piers and horizontal bands with various floral and leaf designs add further ornamentation to the facade. All windows have transoms of various sizes and shapes. PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION A. Early Views: Old photograph of Hart Block in Louisville Illustrated. Page and Co., Louisville, B. Primary and unpublished sources: Deed Books located in the Clerk's Office, Jefferson County Courthouse, Louisville, Kentucky. C. Secondary and published sources: Biography of Charles D. Meyer in Illustrated Louisville, Kentucky's Metropolis, Acme Publishing and Engraving Co., Chicago, p. 97.

Prepared by: David Arbogast Architectural Historian National Park Service August 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 HABf 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 ADDENDUM TO HABS No. HART BLOCK , . (HILDEBRAND BLOCK) 728 West Main Street | y Louisville , Jefferson County - UXJ\/( t Kentucky [O ~ (~> ~ XEROGRAPHIC COPIES OF COLOR TRANSPARENCIES HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Washington,