THEN & NOW

Frankfort & Story Avenues, 1945 vs. 2022

The intersection of the bricked road joining Frankfort and Story Avenues forms a gateway to Butchertown, one of Louisville's largest German settlements. In the late 1900s, the area around this view of Seitz Drugs became popular as creative local residents rehabilitated houses and business venues.

In the historic photograph, the man at the left is looking at the demolition of the Bray-Robinson Clothing Co., which operated, alongside the Semple Manufacturing Co. (makers of girths, blankets, and twine), into the 20th century.

Several decades back, two buildings on Story Avenue, including the one that housed Seitz Drugs, were removed to create direct access to the river down Ohio Street. Old Ohio Street, which connected to River Road, was renamed Frankfort Avenue to give the corridor a continuous identity from River Road to St. Matthews.

 The corner of Frankfort and Story avenues in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Photos courtesy of University of Louisville’s Archives and Special Collections