Infobox_nrhp | name =Schuster Building
nrhp_type =
caption = The Schuster Building in 2007
location= 1500 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, Kentucky
area =
built =1927
architect= Nevin, Wischmeyer & Morgan
architecture= Colonial Revival
added = October 18, 1980
governing_body = Private
refnum=80001618[cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service] ]The Schuster Building is a mixed-use structure at the intersection of Bardstown Road and Eastern Parkway in the Highlands area of Louisville, Kentucky. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as a “significant example” of Colonial Revival architecture as applied to commercial buildings, the Schuster building is one of Louisville’s most prominent examples of that style.
The Colonial Revival style was part of an emerging trend in American design at the time the building was completed in 1927, and was later popularized by the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg.
In the years following the completion of the Schuster Building, several prominent structures in the same style were built in Louisville, such as the University of Louisville Administration Building in 1929, and Norton and Mullins halls of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1930. [cite paper|title=Schuster BuildingNational Register of Historic Places Inventory report|publisher=National Park Service|date=1980-01-29] ]History
The Schuster Building was designed by the Louisville firm of Nevin, Wischmeyer & Morgan, which also designed the Pendennis Club’s clubhouse.
Built in 1927, the convert|35000|sqft|m2|sing=on Schuster Building was the largest of several mixed-use buildings that were built in the pre-World War 2 era along Bardstown Road, the commercial corridor of what was then Louisville’s wealthiest suburban area, the Highlands.
The building originally housed shops, professional offices, apartments and the convert|14000|sqft|m2|sing=on Uptown Theater. The 1,100 seat Uptown was equipped for both live theater and film, with a full stage, orchestra pit and organ.
Decline and renovation
The building changed little into the 1980s. As shops came and went, there were essentially no alterations to the upper floors and only minor ones to the ground floor. The Uptown Theater remained as the anchor of the building, but attendance tapered off over the years, and by the 1980s closure was inevitable. When the Uptown closed in 1989, it had survived longer than any other neighborhood theater in Louisville except the Vogue. [cite news|title=Uptown Plan Critisized|author=Shafer, Sheldon|date=1989-05-19|publisher="The Courier-Journal"|page=7B] ]In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Highlands residents formed an organization to raise awareness and attempt to renovate and reopen the Uptown (at one point as a film museum named after Kentucky native D.W. Griffith), but were unable to raise the $1 million needed for the project. [cite news|title=Film-Center Plan for Upton Lacks funds, Renovation Looms|author=Cutler, Gayle|date=1989-10-11|publisher="The Courier-Journal"|page=1N] ]The planned renovation of the building, which involved demolishing the theater to create a parking lot, was stalled by a slow economy in the early 1990s. While the building was in limbo, several alternate uses were proposed, such as turning it into a public library branch, dance hall or a modern 8-screen cineplex. [cite news|title=Plans in Works to Renovate Old Uptown Theater|author=Shafer, Sheldon|date=1992-03-13|publisher="The Courier-Journal"|page=5C] This uncertainty alarmed neighbors, and led to the building being listed in 1992 as one of the 10 “most-endangered” buildings in Louisville. [cite news|title=Preservation Alliance lists 10 "most-endangered" structures|author=Shafer, Sheldon|date=1992-05-15|publisher="The Courier-Journal"|page=1B]
The cineplex plan gained the most support, both from developers and local politicians, and for a while seemed to be in the serious planning stages. However, many neighbors opposed it, citing concerns about security, traffic and parking, and developers eventually dropped the cinema plan. [cite news|title=Schuster Building Renovation Begins|author=Elson, Martha|date=1994-01-19|publisher="The Courier-Journal"|page=1N] Several years later, a modern multi-screen cinema opened a few blocks away, in the form of Baxter Avenue Theatres at Mid-City Mall.
In 1994, the Uptown Theater was demolished, clearing a large space behind the building where a parking lot was built, and the property was revived when a restaurant and other businesses moved in. Apartments were removed from the second and third floors and converted to office space. [cite news|title=Schuster Building Restoration Complete|author=Elson, Martha|date=1994-10-26|publisher="The Courier-Journal"|page=3B]
Although the Uptown Theater has been demolished, the exterior of the building remains largely unmodified. The theater’s lobby is now a restaurant dining room, but the old ticket window can still be recognized as part of the storefront.
Local influence
As the landmark building in the area, the Schuster Building has influenced nearby development. Across the street, a Valvoline outlet was built with brick chosen to match the colors used in the Schuster Building. [cite news|title=Bardstown Valvoline Outlet Under Construction, Compromise Pleases Neighbors, officials|author=Elson, Martha|date=1991-08-07|publisher="The Courier-Journal"|page=1N] A large, mixed-use building on the opposite corner, called Highland Station, was designed to resemble the Schuster Building, with storefronts flush with the Bardstown Road sidewalk and an outdoor dining area and green space alongside Eastern Parkway.
References
