The Lure of History Bingham grew up in Washington, D.C., under the watchful eye of history. Her father, who was an architect with an interest in colonial churches, would take her on his restoration trips. This influence flourished during her junior year at Smith College when she studied in Florence, Italy. “I really became very interested in the use of older buildings and how compact and walkable it was,” she explained. Bingham moved to Louisville in 1964, just before the National Preservation Act was ratified in ’66, and joined her father-in-law as he started the Preservation Alliance of Louisville in 1972. It began as a nonprofit coalition of neighborhood and civic organizations that promoted historic preservation. Their earliest work focused on Main Street in the River City.
And that focus on Louisville’s downtown continues today, which was the impetus for Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson to open 21c Museum Hotel on West Main Street in 2006. But even though more than 30 years had gone by since Bingham and other civic leaders started promoting the idea of preservation, the venture was still a risky one for Brown and Wilson to undertake. “In Louisville, the first one was a very big risk for us,” admitted Wilson. “We took an empty building in a fairly vacant corner, and it’s been very successful.” So much so that he shared his preservation story in the middle of the museum in the 21c Lexington location (now one of six total 21c venues) during its grand opening last February.
21c Lexington is one of six locations, with more already in the planning stages.
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Preservation Provocateur