Street-level view of the Main & Clay mixed-use development at sunset, showcasing a modern mid-rise structure with metal and brick façade, ground-floor retail, and illuminated signage. Twilight view of the Main & Clay apartments with a blend of sleek contemporary design and preserved historic brick architecture in the foreground, lit by warm streetlamps. Ground-level retail and dining space at night featuring exposed brick, outdoor patio seating, mural-covered walls, and an open, vibrant interior visible through large windows. Communal courtyard at dusk featuring lounge furniture, overhead string lights, outdoor games, and groups of residents socializing beneath the glow of apartment balconies. Interior view of the leasing office with sleek modern design, glass-walled conference rooms, polished concrete floors, and contemporary lighting fixtures.

Main & Clay

Main & Clay deftly weaves the urban post-industrial transitional fabric of the eclectic Butchertown Historic District with the modern urban fabric of Louisville’s downtown. Historically, development on the site had been sporadic with low-rise industrial replacing late 1800’s structures – with only one such building remaining intact. Tasked with protecting the unique location and historic nature of the area, the project makes significant reuse of existing facades which are incorporated into the new building, blending the old and new seamlessly and connecting architecture over the generations.

Emulating its surroundings, Main & Clay combines a compatible brick in-fill at the first and second floor level with a contemporary, industrial feel for the recessed upper stories. On the street, residential flats, townhomes, garden patios and commercial spaces intermix, with ceiling heights on the first floor designed to accommodate additional commercial and retail when demand changes. The podium portion of the project spans from the first to the third floor, with a second level floor system designed to be removed to create high-bay retail/restaurant in anticipation of future development opportunities. Spanning three-quarters of the city block with nearly 420,000 square feet of development and 232 apartments, the project represents a significant investment in downtown Louisville’s urban core.

Year:

2019

Location:

Louisville, KY

Architect:

Smith Gee Studio

Client:

Bristol Development Group

Services:

Architecture & Master Planning

Awards:

AIA Tennessee, Merit Award, 2021 NAHB, Multifamily Pillars of the Industry, Finalist, Best Mid-Rise Apartment Community (6- 9 Stories), 2020 Aurora Awards, Silver Honor, Best Multifamily Housing Community (5 Stories of more for rent), 2020