The 800 Apartments

Add links
Coordinates: 38°14′37.85″N 85°45′32.77″W / 38.2438472°N 85.7591028°W / 38.2438472; -85.7591028
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The 800 Apartments
Residential
Architectural styleInternational Style[1]
Location800 South Fourth Street
Louisville, Kentucky, 40201
Coordinates38°14′37.85″N 85°45′32.77″W / 38.2438472°N 85.7591028°W / 38.2438472; -85.7591028
Construction started1961
Completed1963–64
Opened1963
Renovated2015–16
Cost$6 million
Height
Antenna spire331 ft (101 m)[2]
Roof290 ft (88 m)
Technical details
Floor count29
Design and construction
Architect(s)W. S. Arrasmith (Louisville)
Loewenberg & Loewenberg (Chicago)[3][4]
DeveloperF. W. "Fritz" Drybrough Sr.[5][6]
Main contractorRobert E. McKee General Contractor, Inc.

The 800 Tower, formerly The 800 Apartments, is a 29-story residential skyscraper in Louisville, Kentucky, located in the city's SoBro neighborhood, nestled between Old Louisville and downtown.[7] At the time construction was complete in 1963, The 800 was the tallest building in Louisville,[8][5] a record it maintained for nearly a decade.[7][5]

The building hosts the

radio transmitter for WXMA (formerly WLRS FM), which has its studio a few blocks away.[2] From 1968 to 1988, WLRS-FM's studios occupied most of the building's ninth floor.[9][10][unreliable source?
]

History

Designed by architect William Strudwick Arrasmith of Louisville in consultation with Loewenberg & Loewenberg of Chicago, and developed by Frederick W. "Fritz" Drybrough Sr.,[3][4][5][6][11] construction on The 800 began in 1961. The construction contract was awarded to Robert E. McKee General Contractor, Inc. of Dallas.[12] The building was completed 1963–64,[7][8][13] with construction costs totaling $6 million.[14] Already in January 1964, the building's developer and architects won the Honor Award "for superior design" from the Federal Housing Administration, the agency's first such award, which they gave to 28 out of 315 entries.[6]

On June 16, 2015, Michigan-based property management firm, Village Green announced the purchase of the 800 Building, and renamed it 800 Tower City Apartments, and began renovations expected to exceed $10 million, and take 18 months.[15]

Architectural features

The 800 as seen from Fourth Street looking north toward downtown Louisville

The building, which has a continuous-pour reinforced concrete frame, has an aluminum curtain-wall system on its exterior with the color of the aluminum panels being a distinctive aqua, or turquoise, blue.[8][16] As a result, local residents sometimes refer to it as the "Turquoise Tower of Power" (or just "Turquoise Tower"), a nickname used by disc jockeys who have broadcast from the building.[7][additional citation(s) needed]

The building features an underground parking garage and four 29th floor penthouses along with an outdoor area on the roof. All rental units, except those on the 2nd floor, have outdoor balconies. The ground floor has in various years featured a restaurant from time to time, and in 2017, Bar Vetti, a new Italian restaurant with indoor and outdoor patio seating opened.[17][18]

References

  1. newspaper.com
    .
  2. ^ a b "WXMA-FM 102.3 MHz – Louisville, KY". radio-locator.com.
  3. ^
    newspapers.com
    .
  4. ^
    OCLC 247857447
    . Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-9601072-3-1
    .
  6. ^
    newspapers.com
    .
  7. ^
    LEO Weekly
    . Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  8. ^
    OCLC 247857447
    . Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  9. ^ "WLRS -- EARLY DAYS 1967 -- 69 | LKYRadio.com Message Board". lkyradio.proboards.com. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  10. ^ "Welcome to LKYRadio - Classic Louisville, Kentucky Radio - WLRS Page". lkyradio.com. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  11. newspapers.com
    .
  12. newspapers.com
    .
  13. newspapers.com
    . Workmen still are finishing the inside of the huge building. About 40 percent of the apartments now are occupied.
  14. The Courier-Journal
    . p. 82. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  15. Louisville Business First. Archived
    from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  16. ISBN 978-1-56898-451-3
    . Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  17. Louisville Business First. Archived
    from the original on September 9, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  18. ^ "INSIDE LOOK: Step inside the new Bar Vetti restaurant". October 11, 2017.
Preceded by Tallest building in Kentucky
1963–1971 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_800_Apartments&oldid=1275303419"