Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.
Issue link: https://loumag.epubxp.com/i/891238
LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 11.17 23 A BIT OF HISTORY FROM U OF L ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS WHY LOUISVILLE? While driving a two-block stretch of Clay Street downtown, I'm reminded of a time in my life when I often had to drive on unpaved mountain roads. Even at five miles per hour, the whole car would sway. My torso would bounce, jiggling my insides. For a flat city street, Clay between Jefferson Street and Mu- hammad Ali Boulevard really jostles. You know it if you've driven it — ruts as persistent as ঞre tracks through snow, exposed manhole covers, bricks cracked and missing. What happened? It all started with good intentions. A little more than 10 years ago, when the city tore down the Clarksdale Homes to build Liberty Green, a decision was made to beautify and green-ify this short stretch of Clay. A wide median that looks like a tiny park was built in the middle and Public Works opted for pervious synthetic bricks, a material that would better manage water runoff. Fine gravel filled the spaces between each brick. It looked tidy, pleasant and responsible. The popular urban design blog Broken Sidewalk heralded the move, writing: "Besides offering a rich visual texture to the streetscape, these pavers feature a clipped corner that allows rainwater the chance to slowly seep into the ground instead of rushing into the city's overburdened sewer system." Eight years later, Public Works spokesperson Harold Adams says, "It hasn't worked as we hoped it would. We're looking to re-mediate the entire area." It's not that traffic has been heavier than anticipated, Adams says, adding that the "base of the road…is causing the issues." Public Works plans on using asphalt to patch exposed manholes. From there, engineers will figure out what materials can perma- nently fix this rough (albeit one-time quite charming!) road. — Anne Marshall This 1923 photo of students at the old Lucia Avenue School in the Highlands, which was renamed Bloom Elementary that same year, ran in the short-lived Louisville Post (1922- '25). The school costume pageant it publicized, you'd have to imagine, celebrated food preparation, as evidenced by the cooks and labeled "ingredients" — from pickles to spinach to toasted corn flakes. The top-row jokester in the graduation gown and cap, Judge Scales, apparently signifies weighing food. Next to none of these kids looks much impressed by the opportunity to show off for the Caufield & Shook camera, although Potato has a kind of coy thing going and Milk seems to have a "get me out of here" sarcasm about her. And let's not even talk about Carrot. So, who do you think should have gotten the prize for most creative costume? I'm leaning toward Egg. — Jack Welch