Tyler Block, 319 West Jefferson Street, Louisville

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS KY,56-LOUVI,8-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The five-part facade of this commercial block is a fully expressed example of the Italianate style of architecture applied to an urban structure. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Date of erection: 2. Architect: Henry Wolters. A native of Germany, Henry Wolters was born near Hanover in on his parents' estate. After acquiring a technical training at Heidelberg University, he went on to Paris to study architecture at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Following a term of service in the Danish-Prussian War, wolters left for the United States, arriving in Louisville late in when he began work on the Tyler Block, his first commission. His career spanned from to his death in Throughout this period he maintained an office in Louisville, the place of his residence.

From through he operated an office in New Orleans with a Mr. Harrod. In he was a partner with Mr. Wheelock in Birmingham, Alabama. His known works are as follow: Cotton Exchange New Orleans, La. Cotton Exchange Memphis, Tenn. Court House Evansville, Ind. Court House Birmingham, Ala. City Hall Vincennes, Tenn. Union Passenger Station .Birmingham, Ala. Norton Hall, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisvj He, Ky. Bamberger & Bloom (Store) Louisville, Ky. Kaufmans Strauss (Store) Louisville, Ky. TYLER BLOCK HABS No. (Page 2) Ohio Falls Car Works... Jeffersonville, Ind. Kentucky Wagon Works Louisville, Ky. American Oak Leather Co... Cincinnati, Ohio Callahan & Sons (Elevator) Louisville, Ky. Ballard & Ballard Co. (Elevator)...Louisville, Ky, Realty Building Louisville, Ky.

Highland Baptist Church Louisville, Ky. Phil B. Bate Residence Third Street, Louisville, Ky. 3. Original and subsequent owners: The Tyler Block was built on lot 59 of block 14-E in the city of Louisville. At the time of its erection the site was two lots, nos. 212 and These two lots each fronted Jefferson Street 105 feet, running 210 feet back to an alley. Lot 212 was located 105 feet west of the northwest corner of the intersection of Third and Jefferson Streets and lot 214 was located 210 feet west of the aforesaid intersection. The following references tracing the title of these lots are found in the County Clerk's Office in the Jefferson County Courthouse, Louisville, Kentucky.

Deed, May 21, recorded in Deed Book page Levi Tyler bought from John Harrison (dependent on the outcome of a court suit determining ownership), lot no. 212 for Deed, March 31, recorded in Deed Book 72, page Levi Tyler bought from Henry S. Tyler lot no. 214 for Will, April 2, recorded in Will Book 5, page Levi Tyler leaves real estate to children, not to be sold, but to be maintained as a constant source of income. Deed, January 14, recorded in Deed book page Tyler Land Company bought building from Virginia Tyler Robinson and William A. Robinson, Eliza Robinson Coleman, Ella Tyler Bond, Henrietta Bond Wilton and J. Dudley Winston, Lewis H. Bond and Sadie B. Bond, Isaac Tyler Bond and Grace Thomas Bond, Joseph Bond, Annie Tyler Fairleigh and James F. Fairleigh, Henry S. Tyler and Jane C.

Tyler, Rebecca G. Tyler Smyser and Harry L. Smyser, Owen Tyler and Elizabeth J. Tyler, Isaac H. Tyler, S. Gwathmey Tyler, Jennie Tyler Messich and Charlton Messich, Nancy T. Fraser Campbell and Evan Fraser Campbell, John Tyler and Mary J, Tyler, for Deed, March 19, recorded in Deed Book page 86. Tyler Land Company bought building from Owen Tyler, trustee under will of Levi Tyler, for Deed, December 7, recorded in Deed Book page Urban Renewal and Community Development Agency of Louisville bought building from the Levi Tyler Land Company, with other property, for TYLER BLOCK HABS No. (Page 3) B. Historical Context: Levi Tyler, whose money financed the construction of this building, was one of the foremost citizens of Louisville in the antebellum period.

He served in the incorporation of the Marine Hospital February 5, As a Mason, he founded Tyler Lodge, No. He was president of the Lexington and Ohio Railroad in and of the Louisville and Lexington Turnpike Road Company from through In he was president of the Commercial Bank of Louisville. On November 3, he presided over a meeting for incorporation ot the City of Louisville. He died March 16, at the age of 72. His son, Henry S. Tyler, was also a prominent citizen. He is best known for the role he served as Mayor of Louisville. PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION General description: Because of numerous past alterations the original design of the first floor facade cannot be revealed. A mass of glass completely covered this floor.

Rows of five one-over-one double-hung sash windows lined the second, third, and fourth floors. Only the second and third floor windows had pilasters; pediments were used on the third floor windows only. A special treatment was used on the central third floor window: pilasters with capitals of female human heads. A pediment with a denticulated cornice stood atop the roof, and behind it was a gable roof. PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION A.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS KY,56-LOUVI,8-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

1. Primary and unpublished sources: Deed Books located in the County Clerk's Office, Jefferson County Courthouse, Louisville, Kentucky. Will Books located in the Probate Office, Jefferson County Courthouse, Louisville, Kentucky. 2. Secondary and published sources: Harvey, T. Edgar, ed. Commercial History of the State of Kentucky. Courier-Journal Job Printing Co: Louisville, Kentucky, p. Johnston, J. Stoddard, Memorial History of Louisville from its First Settlement to the Year Chicago: American Biographical Publishing Co., TYLER BLOCK HABS No. (Page 4) Williams, L. A. History of the Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties. Cleveland: L.A. Williams and Co., Newspaper clippings: "New Buildings," Louisville Daily Ledger, January 8, page 1, col. 4.

"Office Building Replaced Row of Old Shops," Courier-Journal, August 4, sec. 4, p. 4, col. 4, "Tyler Block Facade Suggested As Part of New Exhibition Hall," by Ed Ryan, Courier-Journal, September 8, sec. B, p. 1, cols. 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 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