The Holy Goat

The Renovation

 

THE RENOVATION

Renovation of this historic property was daunting but, with the support of our friends, family, and the amazing teams at Republic Bank, Marian Group and WorK Architecture + Design, we built something special! This page is a work in progress, representing what we have so far documented of our journey and the history of the building.

The Building

According to a survey filed with the National Register of Historic Places, the church is considered a rare Louisville example of vernacular Greek Revival, ecclesiastical architecture.

 
 

Originally built in the early 1840s for a German Methodist congregation this gothic church has lived many lives. Not long after construction the congregation built and moved to a larger home, opening its doors for civic and religious gatherings. Records indicate the church has been home to a cigar box factory, Kraemer Paper Company (approximately 1944-1988), a camera shop, and now the Holy Goat (purchased in 2016, main construction completed in 2018). We are continuing to research the history of this build and will update the site as we gain them.

front of Building – Interior Spaces & historic window restoration

Construction created ground floor and second floor commercial spaces in the front third of the building. The ground floor was home to a book store for several years while the top floor served as an office and small event space. Original gothic windows were historically restored, replacing glass and refinishing the framing with a bright, welcoming red.

Currently the second floor is being renovated into a residential apartment, available for short-term rental early spring 2023. The ground floor is available for commercial rental though we may develop it as another Holy Goat space in the coming months.

 

back of building – WALKWAY & COURTYARD

Entry into the back of the building, where we established several residential units, was not welcoming: broken, uneven concrete prone to flooding along with a deteriorating chain linked fence. New wood fencing, brick pavers made from recycled materials, and gravel landscaping helped create a more uniform and inviting approach to our residential units.

 

Demo of temporary structure left an interesting ghosting on the building walls that we chose to keep rather than wash off or paint over.

Remaining foundation blocks of the demoed structure informed the areas where a patio, accessibility ramp, and tree well were built.

back of building – RESIDENTIAL Units

The back two-third of the original church, along with the later addition to the posterior, were partitioned into four residential units: Ali and Braden Suites on the ground floor, Fellowship Hall and Parsonage on the upper level.