Chickasaw is where Samuel Plato, one of the country’s pioneering Black architects, built many homes and landmarks. Most of the residents in the far-west neighborhood are Black.
Ameerah Granger, president of the Chickasaw Neighborhood Federation, is trying to build support for a preservation district there.
She said getting the distinction would be a way to honor Chickasaw’s history and see that local landmarks are better maintained.
“We can't let people say bad things about our neighborhood or about the West End in general without pushing back. We can't let people just build anything without pushing back,” Granger said.
A local preservation district provides a historic designation to neighborhoods, which can help preserve certain properties and landmarks. It also promotes reusing historic buildings rather than demolishing or replacing them.
Chickasaw resident Brunhilda Williams-Curington hopes it would encourage people across Louisville to explore the historic neighborhoods west of 9th Street.
“Chickasaw was where most of the African American doctors lived in the ‘50s and the ‘60s, before they moved to other places. And because I am old enough and grew up in Louisville, I know most of those places where the doctors lived,” she said.
Williams-Curington said she thinks the move would also help stabilize property values.
“This local historic district will actually allow us to make sure that we don't have developers that are coming in and reducing our property values for their own purposes,” she said.
The city already has seven local preservation districts, including Old Louisville and Parkland, which is also in the West End.
The effort to establish Chickasaw as a local preservation district began over a year ago. Granger and other residents began holding meetings in February 2023 and canvassed the neighborhood so more people could participate in the effort.
People from other local preservation districts, like the Clifton neighborhood, spoke at the meetings, Granger said, which helped her and other residents learn more about architecture and taking care of historic homes.
“So now we look at houses differently. It’ll definitely be a benefit to our neighborhood, because people will appreciate the little things about our architecture that maybe they just didn't realize was something to take note of,” she said.
After residents submit an application, they can take part in a design review process for exterior and street-facing changes like demolition and new construction. Granger said the application was filed in August and that she and other residents are currently working to develop design guidelines.
Some residents had concerns about maintaining their homes, adding or subtracting features, and having to spend more money on their homes, Granger said. But according to local preservation district rules, routine maintenance does not need a review. The design review and designation instead requires that any changes will help keep the history and unique attributes of the neighborhood in place.
“It's really not about making you have to revise your house. It's just maintaining a character of the neighborhood, and that could be modern, too,” Granger said.
The Chickasaw neighborhood was also recently included in the National Registry of Historic Places. That can help the local preservation effort by giving property owners the option of allowing state and federal rehabilitation tax credits to be used in maintaining properties in the neighborhood.
Upcoming meetings about the preservation district
Westwood Presbyterian Church, Oct. 29, 6 p.m.
Virtual meeting, Oct. 30, 6 p.m.
Shawnee Library, Nov. 1, 12 p.m.
