According to the U.S. Census Bureau, roughly 43 million Americans — 16.8% of the population — relocate every year, with work-related moves being one of the most common. Now, the city of Louisville, KY is in the midst of coordinating a pretty big move of its own.
Close to 300 city government employees who currently work for a number of different metro departments will be relocated later this year to Edison Center, a newly renovated warehouse in Old Louisville, as announced by Mayor Greg Fischer.
Also, the Property Valuation Office, currently located within the Fiscal Court Annex building directly behind Metro Hall, will be relocated to Glassworks at 9th and Market streets.
The Edison Center move is just one aspect of a broader strategy developed by Louisville’s city government to revitalize Old Louisville. The project seeks to return the neighborhood’s vibrancy by attracting new people and businesses into what is considered one of the most architecturally significant areas in the city.
“We are seeing renewed interest in Old Louisville – including a new streetscape at 4th and Oak and the renovation of a new headquarters for Genscape on Garvin Place,” Mayor Fischer said. “The city’s move into The Edison Center bolsters the positive development already happening in this celebrated Victorian neighborhood.”
The city signed a lease with City Properties Group, which also owns Glassworks and Edison Center, a former Louisville Gas and Electric service building that is currently being renovated by architect and developer Bill Weyland.
“Through a creative redevelopment using historic tax credits and a Brownfields loan program, the property will again be an active and vibrant activity center, and serve as a new anchor for the Oak Street Corridor’s revitalization,” Weyland said. “It will also serve as a prime example of the reuse of former industrial properties that have such potential in the adjacent Park Hill neighborhood.”
The Edison Center is a three-story warehouse-style building located in the heart of Old Louisville, and served as the site of the Southern Exposition during the 1880s, where famed inventor Thomas A. Edison showcased his newly developed incandescent light bulbs. However, the building has been vacant for the past decade and a half.
Tenants moving into the newly renovated Edison Center will enter a 15-year lease agreement, which can be renewed annually without rent escalation. The lease agreement also includes utilities, parking, conference rooms, and furnishings. The site currently boasts an open lot with 467 parking spaces.
Relocations will begin in the fall.