Louisville Magazine

JAN 2013

Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.

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& Architecture design Lincoln���s Revisionist History By Jon Lee Cope Photos by Ted Tarquinio O ne of fewer than a dozen arts elementary schools in the United States, the Lincoln Performing Arts Magnet School anchors the east end of what���s popularly known as NuLu and, with its $8-million addition and overhaul, acts as a gateway to the developing downtown arts district. Lincoln Elementary isn���t new; it just looks that way. Originally built in 1964, the previous incarnation of the school was in decent condition. But the building needed an identity and the school, hamstrung by low test scores, needed an academic spark. So, a few years ago, Jeferson County Public Schools ofcials formed a think tank about what to do with Lincoln, reaching out to various arts organizations such as Actors Teatre, Louisville Fund for the Arts and the Louisville Ballet. Denizens of Louisville���s hippest neighborhood and local business people were also included. Teir question: What if? What if Lincoln was not only a performing arts school, but also a facility that could serve the entire arts community? If done properly, such an investment could oblige the city for years to come, and create generations of artists and arts patrons while, 70 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 1.13 ��The building feels like a professional space that my kids are ��lling with their hopes and dreams.�� ��� Michelle Delaney, parent of twins Alec and Brad, second-graders at Lincoln. ��� ���What if we made a substantial investment and built a place that would provide sustained creativity and innovation? Would the community support it? The answer has been a resounding yes.�� ��� Barbara Sexton Smith, president and CEO, Louisville Fund for the Arts. ��� ��In my 17 years, it has been the most exciting and unique experience for me. It is a school and beyond.�� ��� John Lee, facility planner, Jefferson County Public Schools. ��� Above: Architects added a new fa��ade on the main entrance of Lincoln Elementary School that faces the corner of East Main and South Wenzel streets. Opposite page from top: A new glass addition allows in more light; the foyer lobby; looking out from the hallway outside an arts classroom.

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