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Curious Louisville

Curious Louisville: Who are those faces on the old Manual High School?

By Breya Jones,

Laura Ellis

Published June 16, 2025 at 12:00 PM EDT

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Six mysterious faces stare out from just below the roofline of the 1892 building in Old Louisville.

At the corner of Brook and Oak Streets in Old Louisville sits a building that started out as the duPont Manual Training High School, back in 1892.

Question asker Dan Trabue

When Dan Trabue moved to the neighborhood around 25 years ago, he noticed something curious near the building's roofline: six round medallions, each with a face gazing out. "I was curious who they were and I couldn't really see them that well," Dan said. "I asked around a little bit and looked online, didn't find anything, and I've tried a couple times and then eventually gave up."

Then he sent his question to Curious Louisville. Dan is a Manual High alum, as were his dad and grandpa. And so is LPM's Breya Jones, who saw his quandary and decided to join him in his search for some answers.

Curious Louisville: Who are the faces on the old Manual High School?

Support for Curious Louisville comes from 502 Hemp.

Curious Louisville

Breya Jones

Breya Jones (she/they) is the Arts & Culture Reporter for LPM. She is excited to begin her journalism career in her hometown. She studied political science and journalism at DePaul University in Chicago. Audio is a new frontier that they are excited to bring into their work. While her main interest is in reporting on historically under-covered communities, she is excited by a variety of topics. When not reporting, they can be found stocking their desk snack drawer, knitting and most likely of all, watching Bob's Burgers.

See stories by Breya Jones

Laura Ellis

Laura is LPM's Director of Podcasts & Special Projects. Email Laura at lellis@lpm.org.

See stories by Laura Ellis

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