Fourth Street Live!

Fourth Street Live!
Fourth Street Live! entrance at night, c. July 2016
Interactive map of Fourth Street Live!
Address411 S. 4th Street
LocationLouisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Coordinates38°15′7″N 85°45′26″W / 38.25194°N 85.75722°W / 38.25194; -85.75722
Elevation466 ft (142 m)
OwnerThe Cordish Companies
OperatorLive! Hospitality & Entertainment
TypeShopping mall and entertainment venue
Current useShopping mall and entertainment venue
Construction
Broke groundEarly 2003
Built2004
OpenedJune 1, 2004 (2004-06-01) (Fourth Street Live!)
October 30, 2004 (2004-10-30) (rest of the mall's tenants)
RenovatedMay 2017 – 2018
ExpandedMay 2017 – 2018
ArchitectBravura Corporation
Tenants
13 (20 at peak)
Website
4thstlive.com
Building details
Technical details
Floor count2
Floor area350,000 sq ft (33,000 m2)
Design and construction
DeveloperThe Cordish Companies

Fourth Street Live! is a 350,000-square-foot (33,000 m2)[1] entertainment and retail complex located on 4th Street, between Liberty and Muhammad Ali Boulevard, in Downtown Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is owned and was developed by The Cordish Companies; it was designed by Louisville architectural firm Bravura Corporation. Fourth Street Live! first opened to the public on June 1, 2004, and all stores were completed for the grand opening on October 30, 2004. City planners hoped that the district would attract further commercial business development while providing an attractive entertainment venue for the city's hotel and tourist business as well as the local population.

Traffic on 4th Street through the complex is closed and covered for large public gatherings such as music concerts and other events.

History

Background

Fourth Street Live! began as a downtown revitalization project to redesign and modernize the former Louisville Galleria, a similar but unsuccessful project opened in the early 1980s with the same goals of revitalizing downtown. The Galleria, in turn, had been built on the site of the River City Mall, which opened in 1973, also with similar goals of revitalizing downtown. Fourth Street itself had long been the main shopping and entertainment destination in Downtown Louisville.[2][3][4][5]

The idea of turning Fourth Street into a pedestrian mall actually dates back to 1943, when mayor Wilson W. Wyatt suggested the idea. Proposals were drafted over the years but funding for the $1.5 million River City Mall project was not secured until 1971. The mall originally stretched all the way from Liberty to Broadway, and was initially successful, but over the years vehicular traffic was slowly reintroduced and the mall scaled back.[4][6]

Tenant changes

On December 22, 2020, original tenant Hard Rock Cafe announced that it was closing permanently in 2021 after 16 years of operation because the parent company, Hard Rock International, stated that it has chosen not to renew its lease agreement following financial struggles from the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the restaurant to close temporarily in March 2020. During the summer of 2020, the location was also reportedly vandalized during downtown protests.[7]

After the restaurant shut its doors in 2021, the iconic, huge neon guitar-shaped sign that would greet visitors into Fourth Street Live! was removed, and the restaurant has been vacant ever since. Hard Rock International also cited they enjoyed "serving the Louisville community and playing a role in the city’s dining culture", and that they were willing to operate again in Louisville if they can identify a suitable space. Additionally, the firm has been increasingly focused on casino hotels rather than standalone city cafes.[7]

In July 2022, it was announced that a comedy club, known as Laugh Louisville, would open on the second floor of Fourth Street Live. The tenant opened in late 2022.[8]

Scarpetta, an Italian restaurant, announced an opening in the defunct Bourbon Raw space in late September 2024.[9]

2017 renovation and expansion

On May 8, 2017, The Cordish Companies announced that it would expand the district with the addition of Spark Louisville, a new collaborative workspace designed to replace the Tengo Sed Cantina and The Marquee Bar to serve as an entrepreneurial hub.[10]

Events

In addition to concerts and seasonal/annual festivals, Fourth Street Live! was part of the city's annual holiday season extravaganza, Holiday in the City.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Life after five: 4th Street Live!". Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  2. ^ Shafer, Sheldon (July 17, 2003). "It's Fourth Street". The Courier-Journal.
  3. ^ Rice, Jerry L. (2001). "Fourth Street". In Kleber, John E. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Louisville. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. pp. 316–17. ISBN 0-8131-2100-0. OCLC 247857447. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Kleber, John E., ed. (2001). "River City Mall". The Encyclopedia of Louisville. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 764. ISBN 0-8131-2100-0. OCLC 247857447. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  5. ^ Kramer, Carl E. (2001). "Galleria". In Kleber, John E. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Louisville. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 327. ISBN 0-8131-2100-0. OCLC 247857447. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  6. ^ Kramer, Carl (1978). Louisville Survey: Central Report. pp. 264–65.
  7. ^ a b "Hard Rock Cafe Louisville closes permanently". WHAS 11 News. December 22, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  8. ^ Cawthon, Haley (July 26, 2022). "Fourth Street Live is getting a new tenant — but it's not a bar or restaurant". Louisville Business First. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  9. ^ Keck, Matthew (September 20, 2024). "New Italian restaurant opening on Fourth Street Live this year". CBS News WLKY. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  10. ^ Bowling, Caitlin (May 9, 2017). "Work and play: Co-working space opening at Fourth Street Live". Insider Louisville. Archived from the original on May 17, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  11. ^ "Holiday in the City". Archived from the original on May 16, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
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