LOUISVILLE LANDMARKS COMMISSION DESIGN GUIDELINES, LIMERICK, PAGE 1

Courtesy of the University of Louisville Photographic Archives

LIMERICK

A Brief History

AFRICAN AMERICAN ORIGINS

Limerick originally developed in the 1830s as a small,rural community of African Americans living betweenBroadway and Kentucky Streets. Free African Americansworked as house servants in the city and for wealthyresidents of Old Louisville to the east. Slaves living inthe community labored on a plantation near theintersection of Seventh and Kentucky Streets.

CIVIL WAR OCCUPATION

With the coming of the Civil War, the area began tolose its isolated, rural character. Limerick became abusy and important military support center for theUnion Army. Soldiers constructed a base camp alongSeventh Street between St. Catherine and Oak.Wooden barracks lined Seventh Street, an importantroute for the movement of supplies and troops.

RAILROAD-RELATED GROWTH

After the Civil War, Limerick experienced an intenseperiod of growth, spurred by a booming economy.The Louisville and Nashville Railroad built repairshops and a planing mill at Tenth and Kentucky Streetsto accommodate its growing business. Workers,wanting to live close to the rail yard, built homesnearby for their families. Modest shotgun cottagesconstructed of brick and wood began to line thestreets, and shops opened to serve the growingcommunity. As families prospered, they graduallyreplaced these modest structures with the three-story brick and stone buildings lining the streetstoday.

IRISH INFLUENCE

During the latter half of the nineteenth century, thedistrict became known as Limerick, named after a cityon Ireland�s west coast. Many of the district�sresidents emigrated from Ireland during the mid-1800s. Religious traditions soon followed the Irishinflux. Dominican priests selected Limerick as thelocation to establish a new parish in Louisville,building the St. Louis Bertrand Church between 1869and 1872. The church served as a religious andsocial center for the community, and for many yearsSt. Patrick�s Day parade marchers gathered there tobegin the procession.

PRESERVATION DISTRICT

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ACHIEVEMENTS IN

AFRICAN AMERICAN EDUCATION

In addition to the Irish, many African Americanfamilies lived in Limerick and worked for the railroad.The African American families lived in modesthouses built along alleyways. By the 1870s, theprospering African American community had estab-lished two schools in the Limerick neighborhood. TheCentral Colored School, built 1873, stood at thecorner of Sixth and Kentucky. In 1879, the GeneralAssociation of Colored Baptists in Kentucky opened asecond school in the neighborhood. The LouisvilleNormal and Theological Institute, built in 1879 andoperated under various names over the next seventyyears, provided higher education for African Ameri-cans. A remarkable institution, it alone offeredadvanced degrees to African Americans in the stateof Kentucky from Reconstruction to the legal repeal ofschool segregation in the 1950s.

A PERIOD OF TRANSITION

The early 1900s represented a period of transition forLimerick. In 1905, theLouisville and NashvilleRailroad moved itsLimerick rail yard to theHighland Park neighbor-hood in south Louisville,and many Irish workersrelocated there. Some ofthe younger Irish Ameri-cans whom had becomewhite-collar workers

moved out of the neighborhood in search of moreaffluent areas. Meanwhile, African Americans movedout of the houses fronting the alleys and into themore prominent homes along the main streets.

DECLINE AND RENEWAL

Through the mid-twentieth century, Limerick experienceda decline as businesses and homeowners moved to thesuburbs. In the 1960s, residents responded by organizingthe Limerick Neighborhood Association and initiatingefforts to revitalize the community. The city officiallysupported this endeavor by designating Limerick a localpreservation district in 1979. In the years since,substantial physical improvements and an annualfestival organized by the Association have helpedLimerick regain much of its original vitality.

DDDDDIDIDIDIDID Y Y Y Y YOUOUOUOUOU K K K K KNOWNOWNOWNOWNOW?????• The Central Colored School was the first school

for African Americans in the state to receivefunding through taxes. Established in 1873, itstands on the southeast corner of Sixth andKentucky Streets. It later housed the Mary D. HillSchool.

• In 1879, the General Association of ColoredBaptists established the Kentucky Normal andTheological Institute to train young AfricanAmerican men for the ministry. Three schoolbuildings still stand on a grassy lot betweenKentucky and Zane, and Seventh and EighthStreets.

• Local architects H. P. Bradshaw and John B.McElfatrick designed St. Louis Bertrand in theGothic Revival style. Built in 1872, the church

replaced a modest frame structure con-structed from the wood of Civil War-erabarracks.

• The Landmarks Commission saved TheFour Sisters, historic houses along ZaneStreet, from demolition. Various ownershave since rehabilitated each of the housesas elegant single-family residences.

• Many prominent architects working inLouisville in the late 1880s and early 1890sdesigned homes in Limerick. On St.Catherine Street between Fifth and SeventhStreets, there are six architect-designedhouses. Three of the original architectslived in the homes they designed at 514,517, and 529 St. Catherine Street.

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�Reading� Your Building�A Crash Course

Property owners planning to make exteriorchanges to a historic building should start byidentifying the features and materials that givetheir structure its unique character, as well as itshistoric and non-historic elements. By taking thetime to recognize and understand significantfeatures, you will be much more likely to plan aproject that is compatible with the original styleof the building.

If, after looking over these guidelines, you wouldstill like more information, the staff will be happy toarrange a pre-application meeting. Staff memberscan provide additional advice on the character ofyour building and how it relates to your upcomingproject.

Learning to read a building and identify its signifi-cant elements is not complicated. Begin bythinking about and answering the questionsbelow.

STEP ONEIdentify the overall visual aspects of a building.Do not focus on the details, but on the settingand architectural context. Begin by workingthrough the checklist below.

SHAPEWhat is there about the form or shape of thebuilding that gives the building its identity? Is itshort and squat, or tall and narrow?

ROOF AND ROOF FEATURESHow does the roof shape or pitch contribute tothe building�s character? Are there unique fea-tures like weathervanes, cresting, or cupolas?

OPENINGSWhat rhythm or pattern does the arrangement ofwindow or door openings create? Are thereunusually-shaped window openings or distinctiveentryways?

PROJECTIONSAre there parts of the building that are character-defining because they project from the walls ofthe building like porches, cornices, bay windows,or balconies? Are there turrets, or widely over-hanging eaves, projecting pediments, or chim-neys?

TRIM AND SECONDARY FEATURESHow does window and door trim contribute to thecharacter of the building? Be sure to consider the

decoration, color, or patterning of the trim. What aboutsecondary features like shutters, decorative gables,and railings?

MATERIALSFrom a distance, what contribution do the color,texture, and combination of exterior materials make tothe overall character of the building?

SETTINGWhat aspects of the setting are important in establish-ing the visual character of the site? Think about thebuilding�s setback, alignment with adjacent buildings,plantings, fencing, terracing, and outbuildings, andits relationship to the street and alley.

STEP TWO

Identify the character of the building at close range.Assess the color and texture of the building materialsas they convey the craftsmanship and age that givesthe building its unique appearance. Begin by workingthrough the checklist below.

MATERIALS AT CLOSE INSPECTIONAre there one or more materials that have an inherenttexture that contribute to the close-range character,such as stucco, exposed aggregate concrete, or bricktextured with vertical grooves?

CRAFT DETAILSIs there high-quality brickwork with narrow mortarjoints, or hand-tooled or patterned stonework? Arethere hand-split or hand-dressed clapboards ormachine-smoothed beveled siding? Craft details,whether handmade or machine-made, contribute tothe character of a building because they are manifesta-tions of the time in which the work was done and ofthe tools and processes that were used.

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Courtesy of the University of Louisville Photographic Archives

Limerick�A Railroad Community

The establishment of Louisville and Nashville Railroadoperations in the 1870s provided the impetus for the firstwave of construction in the Limerick area. The earliesthouses were modest frame affairs, simply ornamented withEastlake and Italianate trim. By the 1880s, developers beganto purchase and subdivide larger tracts of land. Upon theseparcels they built substantial, architect-designed resi-dences for the neighborhood�s growing number of middle-and upper-middle-class households.

BUILDING USE

Today, the Limerick PreservationDistrict is primarily residential,with single-family homes and anumber of apartments housed inconverted residences. Thedistrict also contains severalcivic and religious landmarks andis adjacent to Oak Street, acommercial corridor.

CIRCULATION PATTERNS

The regular, grid quality of the streetpatterns reflects Limerick�s urban character.Alleys run behind a few of the blocks, creatinga somewhat piecemeal secondary circulationnetwork. While a few of the smaller housesfront on the alleys, garages, rear yards, andfencing are more common features. Mosthomes have rear parking or street parking,and the narrow character of these urbanlots has historically precluded front- or side-yard driveways.

SITE CHARACTER

Lawns and side yards provide some bufferbetween houses, but they are generallyspare and urban in character. Ornamentalplantings consist primarily of foundationplantings and street trees. On some lots,historic iron fencing survives and differenti-ates among front yards. Raised concrete orlimestone curbs edge many of the frontyards, creating a clear separation from thesidewalk and right-of-way. Limestone stepsor concrete steps and sidewalks lead up tomost entries.

ARCHITECTURAL VARIETY

The neighborhood�s character varies blockby block, representing a range of styles andperiods of development. Common buildingstyles include Italianate and RichardsonianRomanesque. A few blocks also containsimply designed Queen Anne and laterCraftsman-style houses. A shared sense ofscale and massing is seen within manyblocks; however, some exhibit an eclecticarray of heights and styles. Houses on theblocks along and west of Seventh Streettend toward simpler, and likely earlier, one-story frame construction. Houses alongblocks east of and fronting Sixth Street,however, are predominately two or two-and-one-half story, turn-of-the-century, masonryconstruction.

BUILDING MATERIALS

As a whole, Limerick�s buildings appear lessmonumental and commanding than thosetypically seen in Old Louisville, althoughexterior ornamentation is wholeheartedlyembraced. A walk down any street reveals arange of building materials from conserva-tive frame construction to brick ornamentedwith carved limestone. Recessed entries,bracketed canopies, and small porches and

LOUISVILLE LANDMARKS COMMISSION DESIGN GUIDELINES, LIMERICK, PAGE 5

decorative window configurations are common facadeelements.

DIRECTIONAL EMPHASIS

Most buildings have a vertical orientation, which iswell suited to narrow urban lots. Even single-storyshotgun houses convey verticality by using tall,narrow window and door openings. Houses rangebetween one and three stories in height, and areusually sited on a slightly-raised stone or brickfoundation.

VACANT LAND

A significant amount of vacant land exists within theLimerick Preservation District, especially in the areabetween Seventh and Eighth Streets. Construction ofsympathetic infill housing has been very successful inthe past, and similar efforts will be encouraged inthe future.

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Site• is unified by consistent curbing and setbacks;• has relatively narrow lots and small front

yards; and• has an urban grid street pattern and a small

number of alleys.Facades• generally have a vertical orientation;• regularly use two- and three-bay

configurations; and• share a common setback with other houses

on the block.Brick• is the predominate building material within

the district;• is often accented by terra cotta and carved

stone ornament; and• enhances architectural character through its

color, texture, dimensionality, and bondingpatterns.

Wood• articulates stylistic features in cornices,

eaves, gable ends, porch elements, anddecorative trim; but

• has limited use as a cladding material withthe exception of shotgun houses built duringthe district�s early development.

Windows• are generally double-hung, wood sash;• are used singly or in paired or composite

groupings; and

• often exhibit additional ornament on the first-floor front facade position and in the upper-story gable ends.

Doors

• are usually either recessed into the front facadeor are sheltered by canopies or very shallowfront porches;

• are often set-off by elaborate hoods or masonrysurrounds; and

• include both single, some of which are extremelyelongated, and double varieties.

Roofs

• often establish relationships among houses on agiven block in their overall form;

• exhibit a wide range of configurations−somecomplex and some simple; and

• are commonly punctuated by elaborate dormers.

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SITE

ROOF DOOR

APPLIED ORNAMENTLIMERICK PRESERVATION DISTRICT

LOUISVILLE LANDMARKS COMMISSION DESIGN GUIDELINES, LIMERICK, PAGE 7

CORNICE AND CHIMNEY POT BRACKET

WINDOW MASONRY

LOUISVILLE LANDMARKS COMMISSION DESIGN GUIDELINES, LIMERICK, PAGE 8

Preservation PrinciplesOutlined below are a number of guiding preservationprinciples that are modeled after the Secretary of theInterior�s Standards for Rehabilitation. Reading throughthese principles will help you begin to think about howyou can carry out your upcoming project in a way thatboth enhances your historic building or site and pre-serves its character-defining features.

RELATIONSHIPS

When evaluating the appropriateness of a given project,the structure, the site, and their relationship to the rest ofthe district should be given careful consideration.

USE

Historic structures within a local preservation districtshould be used for their originally intended purpose orfor an alternate purpose that requires minimal alter-ation to the building and site.

ALTERATIONS

Repair is always preferred over replacement. Whenreplacement is necessary, materials should replicate ormatch the visual appearance of the original.

A high level of craftsmanship distinguishes structureswithin local preservation districts. Distinctive features,finishes, and construction techniques should be pre-served whenever possible.

Removal or alteration of historic fabric compromisesthe original character of a building or site and shouldbe avoided.

Properties, however, do change over time. Thosealterations that have become historic in their ownright should be maintained as a record of aresource�s physical evolution.

NEW CONSTRUCTION AND ADDITIONS

Additions should be designed to minimize impact tohistoric fabric and should be compatible with themain structure in massing, size, and scale.

New, infill construction should be designed so that itis compatible with its neighbors in size, massing,scale, setback, facade organization, and roof form.

New construction and additions should also drawupon established stylistic elements to create asympathetic design that is clearly of its own era.

FALSE-HISTORICISM

Additions that use new or salvaged material tocreate a conjectural or falsely historical appearanceare inappropriate.

TREATMENTS

Chemical and physical treatments should always beas gentle as possible, since harsh methods like sand-blasting can irreversibly damage historic fabric.

ARCHEOLOGY

Historic sites often contain archeological resources,which should be protected and preserved wheneverpossible. If artifacts are found, contact the Land-marks Commission for an assessment.

Courtesy of the University of Louisville Photographic Archives.