LOUISVILLE, Ky. — City officials in Louisville have issued an emergency demolition order for parts of a historic downtown church that was severely damaged by a fire and later abandoned. The building in question, the former St. Paul’s German Evangelical Church, located on East Broadway just east of Interstate 65, has been deemed unsafe and unstable by city inspectors.
According to records from the Metro government, an inspector visited the site on Monday and declared the church to be “very unstable, open and unsafe.” The structure, built in 1906 and recognized for its Gothic Revival architecture, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Despite its historic significance, the church has become a safety hazard following a fire in October 2024.
The Louisville Codes and Regulations Department has regularly inspected the site since the fire, resulting in over $4,700 in fines for property maintenance violations against the building’s owner, KY Medical Center Hotel LLC. The company, which purchased the church in 2021, had proposed an $80 million development plan for the site, including an 11-story hotel and extended-stay apartments designed to cater to workers at nearby hospitals. However, the project has yet to break ground.
Emily Martin, a spokeswoman for the codes department, emphasized the owner’s responsibility to secure the property. “The building’s current state continues to pose significant safety risks,” Martin stated. “After months of no action and ongoing trespassing incidents, we have posted an emergency demolition notice. We will take all necessary steps to demolish only the unsafe sections of the structure while making every effort to preserve the historic elements.”
The unsafe areas identified by officials include the roof at the rear of the church, which is deemed to be in imminent danger of collapse. While the exact scope of the demolition is still being determined, David Tandy, an attorney representing the ownership group, confirmed that demolition work would commence “soon,” though no specific timeline has been provided.
Tandy also noted that the owners had conducted a structural analysis as part of the insurance process but did not share the findings with the city. The Metro government has not received the report, and it has declined a request by WDRB News for a copy.
In addition to safety concerns, the vacant building had become a hotspot for trespassing and had reportedly been used as a homeless encampment. The Louisville Fire Department had not provided any updates on the status of its investigation into the fire as of Thursday.
As the ownership group works to finalize plans for redevelopment, the fate of the church’s façade remains unclear. Despite the ongoing issues, Tandy assured that the owners still intend to move forward with the project, although the specific details of the development remain “being fleshed out.”
For now, city officials remain focused on ensuring the safety of the surrounding area while balancing the preservation of a historically significant building that has been a part of Louisville’s landscape for over a century.
