© 2024 Louisville Public Media

Public Files:
89.3 WFPL · 90.5 WUOL-FM · 91.9 WFPK

For assistance accessing our public files, please contact info@lpm.org or call 502-814-6500
89.3 WFPL News | 90.5 WUOL Classical 91.9 WFPK Music | KyCIR Investigations
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Stream: News Music Classical

Louisville Metro Offices Moving From Urban Government Center

Wiltshire Pantry Bakery and Cafe on Barret Avenue will likely lose a few regulars this fall.

About 300 city employees currently working at the Urban Government Center on Barret Avenue will relocate to the Edison Center on Seventh Street in Old Louisville.

"We just suggested they place a carry out order and come pick up lunch," said Susan Hershberg, who owns Wiltshire.

She said the city employees that work within the various Metro departments at the Urban Government Center are not the bulk of her business, but when they leave she will take a small hit. "We'll be fine," she said.

For Hershberg, the biggest concern is what will become of the the space at 810 and 850 Barret Avenue.

The building is currently in a state of disrepair, according to areportby The Courier-Journal.

Chris Poynter, a spokesman for the Mayor's office, said "there is all sorts of options" for the property.

He said the buildings could be renovated or the land could be cleared for a future development. In 2013, more than 30 trees were planted on the property. Poynter said their future is also unknown.

"We'll talk about the future of that property down the road," he said.

Hershberg said whatever happens to the property she hopes the mold within the building can be contained and removed. Her small bakery sits just across the street.

"I think we could be more negatively impacted frankly by the construction that could potentially take place then anything else," she said.

But she praised the push to boost economic development in Old Louisville.

Mayor Greg Fischer said the move to the Edison Center will "bolster the positive development already happening in this celebrated Victorian neighborhood.”

The city signed a 15-year lease with City Properties Group, which owns the Edison Center, according to a news release.

The center is a former Louisville Gas and Electric service building that is being renovated by architect and developer Bill Weyland. 

The departments that will be moved to the Edison Center are the Air Pollution Control District, Community Services, Community Action Partnership, Jefferson County Clerk, the Louisville Metro Police Narcotics Division and the Jefferson County Coroner, according to a news release.

Employees with the property valuation office in Metro government will also relocate from Fiscal Court Annex building behind Metro Hall to Glassworks at Ninth and Market streets with a 10 year lease.

Jacob Ryan is the managing editor of the Kentucky Center for Investigative reporting. He's an award-winning investigative reporter who joined LPM in 2014. Email Jacob at jryan@lpm.org.