Louisville, KY., – OneWest has entered into an agreement to purchase nine buildings and adjacent properties at the corner of 18th Street and West Broadway. This represents an investment in West End valued at over $1 million. The goal of this investment is to continue to support small businesses and make investments that generate sustainable economic development in the West End. “This is a significant moment for OneWest. We set out to drive commercial and retail development in the West End and with this transaction, we’re now empowered to do that. We believe this location will be the epicenter of West End’s economic renaissance,” says Evon Smith, the CEO.
OneWest and the community will collectively work on a long-range redevelopment plan for this corner. Outreach events will occur in the future to foster dialogue and ideas around the vision for this property. Existing businesses will be able to work with OneWest to expand their models and build their resources as well as their capacity. OneWest will honor the leases of all current tenants.
The building development is part of the long-term design charrette OneWest is hosting on March the 6th (6:00 p.m.) at Joshua Tabernacle Baptist Church 426 S. 15th St., Louisville, KY 40203. Urban Design Associates, an international urban design and architecture firm from Pittsburgh, PA, is preparing to listen to residents and other stakeholders regarding their ideas on the vision for the S. 18th Street corridor. The designs will be presented in June as part of the Congress for New Urbanism Conference (CNU) that will take place in Louisville. This event is open to the public.
Known currently as the Goldsmith Centre and consisting of 29,000 total square feet, the properties house ten tenants on 15 separate parcels including a gravel and grass parking lot. The property was in the Goldsmith family for over 50 years. Gus Goldsmith donated the equity in the property to OneWest and hopes to influence others to make these same types of investments to help revitalize the West End. Tenants include Broadway Dental, West Broadway Grocery & Deli, Broadway Fashion & Décor, Lil’ Angels Enrichment Center, Jackson Nail Salon, Fade Away Barber Shop, Dan’s Pawn Shop/City Check Advance, Assurance Tax Professionals and Credit Repair, Legacy Men’s Fashions, and Ace’s Slushie World.
According to city records, the original building was constructed as the Royal Theater in 1911 but underwent a series of cosmetic modifications over the years. “This corner is now owned by the community again. The property hasn’t been locally owned and operated in many years. Our goal is to deliver the kinds of retail and dining options West End residents have desired and to assist the existing businesses in their advancement,” Smith says.
“OneWest has been working to help local business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs identify the tools and resources to launch and expand businesses in West End.” Smith continued. “With this property in our portfolio for redevelopment, we can help residents create wealth in their community and attract more investment to the area. We appreciate the investment made by Gus Goldsmith and look forward to working with other investors and community-minded entrepreneurs. “
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OneWest is a 501C(3) community development nonprofit focused on commercial development growth in West End. The organization was formed in 2014 by a diverse group of professionals in Leadership Louisville’s Bingham Fellows program who believed that the clearest path to economic renaissance in West End is an influx of private, philanthropic and public capital. To learn more, visit www.onewest.org.
