The Kentucky Curiosity Hiding In Plain Sight Is Sure To Fascinate You
By Rachel Shulhafer|Published February 07, 2017
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Rachel Shulhafer
Author
I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. I have lived elsewhere twice, but keep coming back. I'm a video editor and freelance writer who enjoys watching people wearing University of Louisville uniforms excel at sports, scaling the faces of large rocks, and hanging out with my border collie/laborador/cattle dog mutt thingy that I have.
If you’re driving near the intersection of Frankfort Avenue and River Road in Louisville, just east of downtown, you might notice a curiosity in the middle of road that is seemingly hiding in plain sight. The facade of an old mansion is on display right in the middle of Frankfort Avenue, and it’s the coolest thing in Louisville that you never even knew existed. The facade has an interesting story that is sure to fascinate you.
The Heigold House facade sits on a roundabout in the middle of Frankfort Avenue near River Road, close to the Butchertown neighborhood.
The house was built in 1853 by German immigrant Christian Heigold. The house was originally built on Marion Street, but the area where the facade now stands used to be known as "The Point" back in the 19th-century. It was a thriving neighborhood full of mansions, just like the one Heigold built. The Point eventually was mostly demolished due to the constant flooding of this low lying area that is just a stone's throw away from the Ohio River.
The facade is full of patriotic and pro-American engravings. Since Heigold himself was an immigrant, it is believed he did this to combat the anti-immigrant attitudes that were common at the time, as well as to honor America for giving him the chance to start over in a new country.
Some of the inscriptions on the facade read "Hail to the Union, never dissolve it," and "Hail to the President, now and forever." There is also a bust of the 15th President of the United States, James Buchanan.
This location of the facade isn't hard to find, either. It's just to the east of Louisville's downtown and is located near two major roads and interstates.
In fact, the Heigold House is located right in the middle of a busy area of the city. Imagine driving past this incredible mansion facade every day on your way to work. But why is it there?
Even though many of the houses in The Point were destroyed thanks to flooding, and later to make room for the expansion of a city dump, Christian Heigold's house lived on. It was first moved to the other side of Frankfort Avenue (which at the time was called Ohio Street) to Thruston Park in 1955. The facade was moved again to its current location in 2007 so that luxury condominiums could be built.
Watch this video to learn more about the Heigold House, and to see more of the area surrounding it.
If you find yourself in Louisville soon, drive past the Heigold House facade to see this curiosity with your own eyes!
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