The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced today that it is naming the Heart of Louisville a National Treasure. The National Trust’s Preservation Green Lab will use Louisville as an urban laboratory to test the impact of targeted technical, financial, and marketing assistance throughout the city’s historic areas.

With Louisville’s resurgence underway in many areas, the National Trust is convening a long-term collaboration with city officials, local preservation and community organizations, developers, and experts in a host of different fields to promote building reuse as a vital tool for sustainable development. The project will last three to five years, build on Preservation Green Lab’s ongoing work in Louisville and unify efforts to protect the city’s older and historic structures while strengthening its revitalization.

“Louisville’s historic buildings are as much a part of the city’s identity as bourbon and baseball bats,” said Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO, National Trust for Historic Preservation. “The Heart of Louisville project will explore preservation strategies to address these complex issues and serve as a model for other cities across the country dealing with similar challenges. We are proud to partner with the City of Louisville to make sure that historic places intertwined with the city’s identity, like Whiskey Row and Main Street, are a vibrant part of its future. ”

“We are honored Louisville is the first city recognized as a National Treasure,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “This elevates our work of sustainable development and preservation to a national level and we look forward to setting a great example for other cities as we embrace and protect our historical assets.”

Louisville’s diverse cross section of historic structures and neighborhoods makes it an ideal location for the National Trust’s urban laboratory. The city has 70 National Register districts, including more than 10,000 buildings. There are more than 6,500 properties designated as individual landmarks or districts by the Louisville Metro Historic Landmarks and Preservation Districts Commission.

Louisville now joins more 50 significant historic places in the National Trust’s National Treasures program. American Express is Presenting Partner of the National Treasures program, and has pledged $6.5 million to help promote and enable the preservation of these cultural and historic places.

More information can be found at: http://savingplaces.org/heart-of-louisville

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About the National Treasures Program

The National Trust for Historic Preservation mobilizes its more than 60 years of expertise and resources to protect a growing portfolio of more than 50 National Treasures that are threatened buildings; neighborhoods, communities, and landscapes that stand at risk across the country. Our National Treasures program demonstrates the value of preservation by taking direct action to protect these places and promote their history and significance.