Sometimes these owners even have community support for demolishing an historic building, because some people do not see the value in preserving an old (and now dilapidated) house. On the other side of the spectrum are the community citizens who are enraged by their inability to proactively save a property they deem as being important to the history and culture of the community. 

To demonstrate how these issues are all intertwined, two case studies will be presented demonstrating the various procedural avenues and outcomes that can result when preservationists, the property owner and the city come into conflict over deciding the future of a neglected historic property. The first is the conflict with Genny’s Diner owner Frank Faris, who in 2001 purchased an old Victorian home that was adjacent to his restaurant for $100,000 with the intent of demolishing the house to expand parking for his diner.  The house was allegedly in a dilapidated condition when Faris purchased the property, and then after his further neglect and two fires the condition of the house worsened considerably. Then two years after he purchased the property, the Clifton neighborhood was designated a Historic District. Because of the properties location he was required to apply for a permit to demolish the building, which he did in 2004, but the Landmarks Commission denied his application. Because of Faris’ inability to demolish the property as planned, and the amount of money it would require to repair the building to make it fit for habitation or commercial use, Faris sat on the property and let it continue to deteriorate. Because of his neglect, Faris incurred over $75,000 in building code violations for his failure to repair the house. He tried to sell the house, and then he tried to negotiate a property swap with the city but none of these efforts panned out, and eventually a judge ordered Faris to sell or give away the house. When he failed to abide by the order, he was sentenced to a year of home incarceration.  Eventually, Faris sold the house and the diner to Tim and Roy Koons-McGee who bought the property to put a comfy cow ice-cream shop in the Victorian home. The new owners then applied to Landmarks Commission for permission to demolish the diner, and the Commission approved the demolition and refurbishment plans, and now the house has been restored, but Genny’s Diner, a Louisville staple for 27 years was lost. 

The next case study of demolition by neglect in Louisville, is still pending in the courts and undergoing negotiations between developer Todd Blue and his properties on 101-133 W. Main Street otherwise known as “Whiskey Row.” Whiskey Row is a block of attached buildings with cast-iron facades that was built between 1850-1905 and “was the thriving center of Louisville’s whiskey economy.”