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32-780: The Theatre opened on October 5, 1925. The space was named for James Graham Brown , an Indiana native and longtime Louisville resident. Modeled after New York's famous Music Box Theatre , the space boasts a 40' x 40' stage. With the onset of the Great Depression , the Brown was leased to the Fourth Avenue Amusement Company in the 1930s as a movie theater. By 1962 the Brown Theatre was renovated so that it could once again stage live performances. Another renovation took place in 1971 and afterwards

64-423: A 12-foot statue of Lincoln seated on a rock, looking out over the river. Four bas-reliefs (a type of sculpture carved from flat surrounding stone) illustrate Lincoln's ties to Kentucky. The traveling SkyStar Wheel made its debut on March 29, 2018, in the park for the 2018 Kentucky Derby , Thunder Over Louisville , and Waterfront Wednesday season opener. It remained open until May 6, 2018. The base rent paid by

96-556: A Braille translation, and tactile graphics. Textured pads at the edge of sidewalks provide underfoot cues for the signs. The Big Four Bridge crosses the Ohio River connecting Waterfront Park to Jeffersonville, Indiana. Constructed in 1895 as a railroad bridge, the Big Four Bridge first provided rail access for freight and passengers traveling between Louisville and Southern Indiana. The bridge operated until 1969 when it

128-509: A million people. There were problems early-on with the grass being too easily worn down by visitors. Phase II construction (1999–2004) Phase II, covering 17 acres, completed the east end of the park The development costs were about $ 15 million. Key developments include the second children's play area, a restaurant space, the Brown–Forman amphitheater, a boathouse, additional parking, additional picnic areas, more green space, an extension of

160-515: A small suite at his hotel for much of his life. At the time of his death, Brown had no heirs, and his estate was estimated to be worth $ 100 million, making him the wealthiest man in Kentucky at the time. The bulk of the estate was given to a charitable foundation that bore his name. The foundation, which he had created in 1943, has donated to local and state causes over the years, and remains active as of 2020 . The current active President and CEO of

192-666: A wasteland of scrap yards and abandoned industrial buildings, Waterfront Park is now a vibrant green space that welcomes over 2.2 million visitors each year. Located in the park is the Big Four Bridge which connects the city of Louisville with the City of Jeffersonville, Indiana . Waterfront Park is home to some of Louisville's most exciting celebrations, such as the Fourth of July at Waterfront Park, Forecastle Festival , WFPK Waterfront Wednesdays and Thunder Over Louisville . In 2013

224-645: The Brown Theatre. Later in his life he became active in philanthropy, pledging $ 1.5 million in 1962 to fund the establishment of the Louisville Zoo . He donated a similar amount to build a student center at his Alma mater, Hanover College . He also donated heavily to the University of Louisville and to various other schools and hospitals. He was also a lifelong supporter of the Boy Scouts of America . Many of these donations were anonymous. He lived in

256-600: The I‐64 Interstate Highway. Phase IV will celebrate the rich local history and heritage of the area. The site was the location of Louisville's first frontier fortress, Fort on Shore, and later a heavy industrial site. In the first component of Phase IV, Waterfront park and Kentucky Science Center have partnered to create an outdoor experiential learning area called Playworks at Waterfront Park. The new area will include creative play structures and various interactive displays featuring various artifacts to celebrate and teach

288-718: The W.P. Brown and Sons Lumber Company. Brown also began developing commercial buildings, concentrated around Downtown Louisville , including the Brown Hotel, Brown Theater, Brown Garage, the Commonwealth Building (originally the Martin Brown Building), and Kentucky Towers . From 1944 until 1947, Brown owned the Newell B. McClaskey House and plantation in Bloomfield , Kentucky . Brown

320-461: The beauty and strength of the bridge structure. The Vietnam Memorial stands at the base of the Big Four Bridge. An American flag flies 70 feet in the air and is visible from the bridge. Dedicated on November 19, 1983, the memorial originally stood on the Belvedere. In 2014, The structure was moved to its current home. The Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund funded the memorial. Dedicated in

352-469: The bridge each year. In 2014, Jeffersonville built their ramp to complete the Big Four experience. The bridge itself is approximately 1/2 mile (2,562 ft.) long. Each ramp is 1/4 mile (1,181 ft.) long. The entire distance totals two miles. The Big Four Bridge has an LED lighting system that wraps the iron fretwork in vibrant colors. The lights can be programmed to have a rainbow effect, highlighting

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384-601: The building in 1997, undertaking to finance the remainder of the $ 4.2 million restoration with Kentucky Performing Arts under contract to manage the theatre. Gifts were also received from the W.L. Lyons Brown Foundation, the Brown family of Louisville, and the Brown-Forman Corporation . In 1998, re-christened the W.L. Lyons Brown Theatre, new stage equipment and rigging, a modernized computer marquee, and new heating and air conditioning systems are put into place. Further gifts from Owsley Brown Frazier resulted in

416-560: The conversion of the former Big Four Railroad bridge going between the park and Jeffersonville, Indiana 's waterfront park into a pedestrian bridge. This phase of development cost roughly $ 41 million. It also included the announcement to develop Riverview Park and RiverPark Place by Poe Development and WDC. The Lincoln Memorial was completed in 2009 and the Big Four Lawn opened in 2010. In February 2011, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels announced that

448-669: The deck on the bridge and connect it to the spiral ramp that had been completed in Waterfront Park. The bridge was completed in May 2014 with the opening of the Jeffersonville ramp. Phase IV Phase IV of development for Waterfront Park is a proposed $ 35 million investment to expand the park 22 acres uniting downtown and West Louisville along the waterfront. Phase IV land lies west of Louisville's principal wharf and harbor area at Fourth Street. Largely neglected, it sits beneath

480-636: The design and said it could still be considered, but additional funding would have to be found. In 2006, David Karem, executive director of the Waterfront Development Corporation, a public agency that operates Waterfront Park, wished to deter visitors from bathing in the large public fountain. He initiated a plan that was dependent on the average park visitor's "lack of understanding about water's chemical makeup", and arranged for signs that read: "DANGER! – WATER CONTAINS HIGH LEVELS OF HYDROGEN – KEEP OUT". The signs were posted on

512-540: The downtown skyline. All of the walkways in Waterfront Park have been built to meet ADA standards. Wherever there are stairs at the park, there are also walkways for accessing the same area. The Big Four Bridge is accessible by ramp on the Kentucky and Jeffersonville side. Service animals are allowed everywhere in the park. An Accessible Signage Program helps park visitors with visual impairment navigate and enhance their park experience. Each sign includes raised letters,

544-559: The foundation as of 2020 is local Louisville resident, Mason Bennett Rummel. The foundation claims $ 462,816,066 in donations through 2,700 grants so far. Projects the foundation has made key donations to include Louisville Waterfront Park and the University of Louisville's James Graham Brown Cancer Center. An early donation allowed the Kentucky Derby Museum to be created. Brown died of congestive heart failure and

576-764: The main reception area adjoining the Fifth Third Conference Center being named the Frazier Lobby. James Graham Brown James Graham Brown (August 18, 1881 — March 20, 1969) was an American businessman and real estate developer best known as the builder of the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky and for his philanthropy. Born in Madison, Indiana , he moved to Louisville in 1903 and founded, with his brother and father,

608-578: The operator to the park was US$ 25,000 or 5% of gross profits, whichever was greater. I-64 runs through the park, and portions of the park exist under it. 8664 , a grassroots campaign, aimed to re-route I-64 to enhance Louisville's waterfront. However, I-64 was ultimately widened over the park as a part of the Ohio River Bridges Project , supported by the Mayor and most involved in city and interstate planning. In May 2007 designs for

640-775: The original Children's Play Area at the Orange parking lot (west of the Harbor Lawn) and the Adventure Playground and Splash Park at the Silver parking lot (east of the Big Four Bridge). The Children's Play Area was one of the first spaces to be completed in 1997. This playground includes three areas for different age groups and a climbing rock nearby. The play area has views of the river, the Great Lawn, and

672-566: The park won the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence a national design award that seeks to identify and honor places that address economic and social concerns in urban design. Phase I construction (1994–1999) Phase I consisted of approximately 55 acres (220,000 m ), and the initial development cost was about $ 58 million, combining public and private money. The park's site was previously used for industrial purposes: scrap yards, sandpits, and other industrial sites. The ground

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704-479: The riverfront walking path, and a rowing facility. The rowing facility is used by the University of Louisville Women's Rowing team, school and community groups. Phase II initially intended to include the spiral ramp up to the Big Four Bridge, but was postponed to Phase III due to a redesign related to geotechnical and flood control issues. Phase III construction (2005–2012) Phase III construction began in late spring of 2005, to add 13 acres (53,000 m ) and include

736-465: The span over the Great Lawn were released, causing some controversy. The two proposed designs called for either 40 or 58 pillars, at a cost of $ 48 or $ 36 million, respectively. The Waterfront Development Corporation favored a $ 160 million proposal which could have as few as 10 pillars, and an aesthetically pleasing span design. This more expensive proposal was left out of the options presented. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet later apologized for omitting

768-706: The summer of 2009, the Lincoln Memorial at Waterfront Park was part of the bicentennial celebration of Lincoln's birth. The Commonwealth of Kentucky, the family of Harry S. Frazier Jr., and the Kentucky Historical Society/Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission funded the memorial and selected nationally renowned Louisville artist Ed Hamilton to create both the Lincoln statue and the bas reliefs . The memorial features

800-407: The two states, along with the City of Jeffersonville, will allocate $ 22 million in funding to complete the Big Four Bridge project, creating a pedestrian and bicycle path to link Louisville and Jeffersonville. Indiana spent $ 8 million and the City of Jeffersonville provided $ 2 million in matching dollars to pay for construction of a ramp to the Big Four Bridge. Kentucky is pledged $ 12 million to replace

832-606: The waterfront's history. Concept design for Playworks at Waterfront park was finalized in 2018, and construction is anticipated to be completed near the beginning of 2024. Each year the park is features numerous exciting events such as Thunder Over Louisville , Forecastle Festival , WFPK Waterfront Wednesdays, Fridays at the Front, Fourth of July at Waterfront Park, and the Juneteenth Jubilee Celebration. There are two playgrounds in Waterfront Park;

864-409: Was an opponent of organized labor, once threatening to sell his hotels to the highest bidder if employees organized. Brown would not desegregate his hotel and theater until public accommodation laws forced change. When "Porgy and Bess," which had an all black cast, was playing at the Brown Theatre, local blacks were barred from attending. During the early 1960s, civil rights sit-ins were held in front of

896-623: Was broken for the project in 1994, and the space was dedicated in 1999. This phase of construction included much of the park from the western edge up to, but not including, the Big Four Bridge. Mass excavations were completed in 1995 and the wharf in 1996. Louisville architects Bravura Corporation and Hargreaves Associates were the park's designers. This development phase included the Great Lawn, Joe's Crab Shack , walking paths, and play areas. The park hosted hundreds of events in its first full season of use, including outdoor concerts and other festivals , with an estimated total attendance of more than

928-531: Was buried in Cave Hill Cemetery . Louisville Waterfront Park Louisville Waterfront Park is both a non-profit organization and an 85-acre (340,000 m ) public park adjacent to the downtown area of Louisville, Kentucky and the Ohio River . Specifically, it is adjacent to Louisville's wharf and Riverfront Plaza/Belvedere , which are situated to the west of the park. Once

960-471: Was decommissioned, the ramps removed several years later. The Waterfront Master Plan, developed in the early 1990s, included the Big Four as a pedestrian bridge. On February 6, 2013, the city opened an elliptical ramp and the bridge to pedestrians and bicycles. Waterfront Park installed counters on the Louisville ramp in 2013, helping to calculate an average of 1.5 million pedestrians and bicycles that cross

992-691: Was sold to the Louisville Board of Education, operating under contract to the Louisville Theatrical Association. The theatre was briefly rechristened The Macauley Theatre . In 1982, the Broadway-Brown Partnership was formed and purchased the theatre and adjoining hotel in an effort to rejuvenate the southern end of Louisville's downtown business district. Louisville's Fund for the Arts acquired

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1024-481: Was still involved with downtown hotel development in the 1960s, as well as suburban developments like the Brown Suburban Hotel , and a 97-acre (390,000 m ) development on the site of his east end farm which eventually became Baptist Hospital East and the surrounding business and retail center called Breckenridge Square. He served on the board of directors of Churchill Downs for 32 years. Brown

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