Use: Baseball Bat Factory and Museum, Parking Structure
Year: 1996
Location: 800 W. Main Street, Louisville, KY

Prominently featuring the trademark 120-foot tall bat along Historic West Main Street, the H&B Louisville Slugger headquarters has served to extend the western boundary of the central business district. A precursor to the surge of mixed-use urban revitalization along Main Street, the manufacturing operation also provides a tourism component that has evolved to become one of the city’s top attractions since its reopening in Louisville in 1996.

Bill Weyland was instrumental in creating the financial structure that facilitated the factory’s move back to its namesake city from Indiana. In addition to strengthening downtown tourism, strategies in the development include historic preservation and creative parking solutions. The historic 812 West Main building was integrated into the adjacent new structure, designing the new infill for functionality with respect to the existing historic context. A screened parking structure adds a stable revenue-generating component to the development.