 Louisville’s Whiskey Row is second only to New York in being the largest assemblage of cast-iron architecture in the country, as well as many of the buildings being designed by such “celebrated architects such as Henry Whitestone (Galt House), John Andrewartha (City Hall), and D. X. Murphy (Churchill Downs).” In 2007, Developer Todd Blue bought the properties for $4.3 million dollars with the intention of developing the block into a mixed-used commercial and office facility called “The Iron Quarter” where he would maintain the facades of the original structure but demolish the rest of the building. However, shortly after purchasing the property, the economy rapidly declined, making Blue’s original plan unfeasible, and the properties have sat vacant since 2007. Eventually, the non-profit group Downtown Development Corporation noticed the rapid deterioration of the properties and issued a report that recognized the buildings were at risk for collapsing and suggesting repairs. Acting upon this report, the Department of Codes and Enforcement wrote Todd Blue, ordering him to stabilize the property, and stating that failure to comply would result in legal action pursuant to Chapter 156 of the Property Maintenance Code. In response to the letter, the Iron Quarter LLC hired their own structural engineer to examine the property, and his determination was that the properties could potentially collapse and were a threat to public safety.  Using this information, the Iron Quarter applied to the Department of Inspections, Permits and Licenses requesting an “emergency order of demolition” pursuant to Metro Ordinance §156.806.  The Department denied their request for an emergency order, stating that their prior letter, that established timelines for repairs was enough to safeguard the public, and that the buildings were not imminent threat, but that the Iron Quarter could still request a regular demolition order pursuant to §156.807. Following the Department’s decision, the Iron Quarter had several more engineers and fire experts inspect the building, all of which concluded that the buildings were unsafe and at “risk of collapse.” Following these reports, on June 28th, 2010 the Iron Quarter filed suit in Jefferson County Circuit Court, and three days later the Historic Landmarks and Preservation District designated Whiskey Row as a historic landmark, a designation that would require Todd Blue and the Iron Quarter to go get permission from the Preservation Commission for any non-emergency demolition permits. However, the Iron Quarter only continued to request for an emergency demolition order, to which Metro’s only response has been that Iron Quarter pursue the standard wrecking permit process.  

Shortly following the judge’s decision not to dismiss the case, the Mayor, Greg Fischer and Todd Blue reached a settlement agreement where Fischer agreed to ask the Metro Council for $450,000 for a “feasibility study” on saving the facades, in exchange for granting the emergency demolition order, and allowing Blue to put a parking lot on the property, if the city and Blue did not reach an agreement on the facades in 90 days.