The Story of This Abandoned Place in Louisville, Kentucky Is Truly Fascinating

Can you imagine one of the city's most beautiful, manicured homes abandoned? It may seem impossible that a thoughtfully designed and decorated mansion would be left completely empty with no one to live in or maintain it, but this is exactly what happened to the Ouerbacker-Clement House in Louisville, Kentucky. The mansion is located at 1633 West Jefferson Street in the Russell neighborhood. The story of how this stunning home became an abandoned relic with boarded-up windows is fascinating.

The Ouerbacker-Clement House, also known as the Ouerbacker House, was built in 1860 for George Moore, who sold it five years later to a steamboat captain, Alexander Gilmore. The home has a Richardsonian-Romanesque style. Homes in this style are often large, constructed of rough-cut stones or bricks, and have towers.

Gilmore lived in the home with his daughter and her husband, a well-known coffee merchant named Samuel Ouerbacker. In the 1890s, Gilmore hired two renowned architects, Arthur Loomis and Charles Clarke, to add a large and impressive facade to the front of the home. The Ouerbacker-Clement House is one of the area's most luxurious homes.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Reverand George Clement lived in the home. Clement was pastor of the Broadway Temple AME Zion Church. Clement's son, Rufus Clement, also lived there and was dean of the Louisville Municipal College. He eventually became the president of Atlanta University, which is now Clark Atlanta University.

The mansion eventually became a tax service business. It housed a tax business for 70 years until 2005, when, ironically, the city took over the property for unpaid taxes. In 2006, a fire damaged the property, and it fell into disrepair.

Many people tried to save the abandoned Ouerbacker-Clement House. This Old House magazine featured the home in 2008, and the Louisville Historical League put it on its list of "Top 10 Endangered Properties in Metro Louisville." An architect, Scott Kremer, formed a foundation to restore the property and utilize it to serve the community, but Kremer's vision didn't come to fruition, and he returned it to the city.

The city ultimately listed the Ouerbacker-Clement House for sale for $1. Oracle Design purchased the mansion in 2014 and breathed life into the abandoned home. Yes, the beautiful and historic home was saved! The rehabilitated and redeveloped mansion now serves as six apartments. This landmark property stands proudly as a case of successful historic preservation.

The Russell neighborhood is a bit west of downtown Louisville, giving it great access to attractions, museums, and restaurants downtown. The Louisville Slugger Museum and Kentucky Science Center are close by. Angel's Envy Distillery, Old Forrester Distilling Co., and Rabbit Hole Distillery are also in the area.

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