Three Points Beautification is proud to announce out next mural: an homage to businesses that shaped our community highlighting Glassner's Bakery, the Louisville Cotton Mill, and Ackerman Millworks.
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| Rough sketch of the new mural. |
Stephen
Paulovich (stephenpaulovichstudios.com) has been commissioned to create a mural
on the Ackerman Millworks & Supply Co. building at 923 Goss Avenue. The mural will span two sides of the blank, paint-chipped
building and will pay homage to the former Louisville Cotton Mill, Glassner's
Bakery, and Ackerman Millworks (current building tenants). The front side of
the building (facing Goss Avenue) will look as if the building was spliced down
the center and you are peering inside at a bustling work day - women spinning
cotton, men at wood lathes, bakers kneading bread. The side of the building
(facing Boyle Street) will have a life-size painting of the old Glassner's
Bakery truck.
In addition to the
mural, we will be adding new lighting to the exterior of the building,
replacing a dry-rotted door on the building, landscaping the corner, and other
amenities. Once all is said and done, this beautiful new addition to Goss
Avenue will enhance the pedestrian experience, instill neighborhood pride,
promote the history of the community and pay homage to the industry and small
business that helped establish and grow this area, and compliment the
revitalization this area is currently experiencing. We want to embrace our future without forgetting our
past.
We have enlisted Lisa Pisterman, local historian and author, to assist in the project. She has an extensive knowledge of Scnhitzelburg and the cotton mill. Here is an excerpt from her book Louisville's Germantown and Schnitzelburg:
The Louisville Cotton Mill, located on Goss Avenue, has the distinction of being the first mill in Germantown and is a significant example of Victorian industrial architecture. The mill was built in 1888 by Richard A. Robinson, a drug company sales representative, and his son, William Robinson, was the president of the mill. Architect Charles Julian Clarke designed the main building with its impressive five-story tower. The Louisville Cotton Mill produced cotton warp for the manufacture of Kentucky Jeans.
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| Woman in mill. Photographic archives, Ekstrom Library, University of Louisville |
Ray Ackerman of Ackerman Millwork & Supply, along with his son and daughter-in-law Matt and Shelly Ackerman, have kindly donated the wall of his building to the mural. Ackerman Millwork & Supply is just a stone's throw away from the original Three Points project and is located at 923 Goss Avenue.
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| Ackerman Millwork & Supply - present day |
The Ackerman's introduced the idea of incorporating Glassner's Bakery to the design. George Glassner Sr. immigrated to Louisville and opened his bakery in the 1920's. It's original store was on Story Avenue, then later moved to 1044 Goss Avenue before settling into 1244 Boyle Street (the building pictured above, at the corner of Goss and Boyle).
In the 1970's, Ray Ackerman bought the building to open Ackerman Millwork & Supply & Co., where his company makes custom cabinetry and trim today.
Stephen Paulovich Studios will bring life to this wall (his sketches pictured above).
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| Ed Glassner, 1968 |
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| Emma Glassner Muir, September 1966 |
In the 1970's, Ray Ackerman bought the building to open Ackerman Millwork & Supply & Co., where his company makes custom cabinetry and trim today.
Stephen Paulovich Studios will bring life to this wall (his sketches pictured above).
We chose Paulovich for a variety of reasons.
Paulovich is an experienced artist - his studio has "more than 150 years of combined experience in designing, fabricating, and installing works of art as decor." His designs capture the real-to-life look we want this mural to have. His studio has demonstrated their mastery of designing three-dimensional subjects that will be key to this mural - from the machines to the workers.
We have met with many community leaders and preservationists, as well Jeff Underhill of Underhill Associates, the developers of the Germantown Mill Lofts, and discussed what they envisioned for the wall, as we felt it was important to get the opinion of the people who are making a multi-million dollar investment across the street. We agreed that we wanted something with earth tones that blended seamlessly into the streetscape. Afterall, this will be highly visible to the new tenants of the Germantown Mill Lofts who have apartments in the front of the building.
Paulovich's portfolio proves he has the ability to design within our ideal color palette and create something that adds to Goss Avenue's charm rather than distract from it. Intricate details of the mural will truly add to the walkability of Goss Avenue, especially as it continues to grow with new commercial endeavors and design improvements.
Aside from Paulovich's artistic talents, he holds a special connection to the area and the former cotton mill that we feel is significant. Paulovich had an art studio inside of the cotton mill from 1994 until it closed in 2013. He spent many years working in the building and learning its history. In fact, years ago, he completed a stunning mural of the antique mall along the backside of the cotton mill that was hardly visible to the public (it has since been removed, but it is pictured below). His daughter was practically raised in the mill and she is now a junior at duPont Manual High School!
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| Louisville Antique Mall by Stephen Paulovich |
We will also be adding landscaping, planters, new lighting, and a bike pump and repair station to the exterior of the building!
We look forward to creating this mural and preserving this rich part of Germantown's history!
(Read more about donating in this article from The Courier Journal!)
