City Employees to Relocate to Edison Center in Old Louisville

Nearly 300 city government employees who currently work in various metro departments at 810 and 850 Barret Avenue will be relocated later this year to a renovated warehouse in Old Louisville known as the Edison Center, Mayor Greg Fischer announced today.

In addition, the Property Valuation Office, currently located in the Fiscal Court Annex building behind Metro Hall, will relocate to Glassworks at 9th and Market streets.

The Edison Center move is part of a broader strategy by city government to help revitalize Old Louisville and bring new people and added vibrancy to one of the city’s most architecturally significant neighborhoods.

The city has signed a lease with City Properties Group, which owns Glassworks and Edison Center, a former Louisville Gas and Electric service building that is being renovated by architect and developer Bill Weyland. The Edison Center is a three-story warehouse-style building located at 1258 S. Seventh Street.

“We are seeing renewed interest in Old Louisville – including a new streetscape at 4th and Oak and the renovation of a new headquarters for Genscape on Garvin Place,” Fischer said. “The city’s move into The Edison Center bolsters the positive development already happening in this celebrated Victorian neighborhood.”

The city put out requests last year seeking new space for city employees. Five companies responded and Weyland’s company won the competitive bid.

Departments that will be moved to the Edison Center are the Air Pollution Control District, Community Services, Community Action Partnership, Jefferson County Clerk, LMPD Narcotics Division and the Jefferson County Coroner. Relocations will occur in the fall.

The Edison Center is located in Old Louisville, the site of the Southern Exposition in the 1880s. Thomas A. Edison displayed his newly developed incandescent light bulbs at the expo.

EDISON CENTER

Tenants moving into the Edison Center will be entering into a 15-year lease (renewable annually with no rent escalation); also includes utilities, parking, conference rooms and all renovations and furnishings. Site has an open lot with 467 parking spaces.

“Old Louisville is an area where the Mayor and Develop Louisville have been working to spur economic development and the addition of 300 Metro Employees will most certainly assist in this endeavor,” said Cathy Duncan, Director of Fleet and Facilities. “In addition, Mr. Weyland has plans for a second phase of the site and surrounding area once Metro is established as an anchor tenant.”

The Edison Center has sat vacant for the past decade and a half.

“Through a creative redevelopment using historic tax credits and a brownfields loan program, the property will again be an active and vibrant activity center, and serve as a new anchor for the Oak Street Corridor’s revitalization,” Weyland said. “It will also serve as a prime example of the reuse of former industrial properties that have such potential in the adjacent Park Hill neighborhood.”

GLASSWORKS BUILDING

PVA -- 4th floor space in the Glassworks Bldg. located at 815 West Market Street.

PVA will be entering into a 10-year lease (renewable annually with no rent escalation). Rent includes, utilities, parking, conference room space, and all capital build-out cost.