LOUISVILLE, Ky. — While a set of historic shotgun homes in the Meriwether neighborhood may look blighted, some prefer to remember the beauty of what once stood here.
"I feel like Lawton Court is a hidden treasure," Alena Balakos, a nearby resident and affordable housing advocate, said.
Neighbors like Balakos are preparing to say goodbye to a courtyard, with a century's worth of memories.
"Houses have souls, you can quote me on that," Balakos said. "It's gonna sound kooky, but it's how I feel."
The remnants of a working class neighborhood that's been a part of Louisville since the 1910s will soon be gone as a neighboring business, CEPEDA Associates Inc., prepares to take over the land and expand its facilities.
"We expect in the next three to five years to double in size, and that will require us to build an additional up to 50,000 square foot building," Eric Taylor, vice president of the company, said.
Demolition began Tuesday, with the first of 10 properties the company plans to demolish by January.
CEPEDA Associates Inc., which purchased most of the homes in the last three years, is in ongoing talks with those still holding out on selling.
The bulldozing comes after a failed bid that started last year to protect the properties by designating Lawton Court as a historic landmark.
"I just want there to be a trail on the news and in different articles that proves that the community cared and that we really did our best and that we really fought it," Balakos said.
Taylor said he respects the preservation efforts but points to, what he believes, will be the positives to come out of development.
"Our growth will create a lot of jobs," he said. "We've also worked with the community organizations that, that had filed petitions to recover as much material out of these homes as they can."
But neighbors said they've seen too many homes lost over time.
"We really want the city to take a look at historic preservation and 'what can we actively and proactively do right now?' So that this doesn't happen again," Balakos said.
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