Beechmont Neighborhood Association

Beechmont Neighborhood Association

Brief History of Beechmont

The Beechmont neighborhood lies south of the University
of Louisville and Churchill Downs. It is bisected by
the historic linear park, Southern Parkway, which runs
from Harlan Avenue and Wayside Park, south to New Cut
Road and Iroquois Park, a distance of almost three
miles. The Parkway was designed by Frederick Law
Olmsted, the nation's first landscape architect. It is
listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks
and has two National Register districts adjacent to it,
Oakdale and Southern Heights/ Beechmont.

Beechmont was a summer retreat for the city in the early
days, having scattered, sprawling, summer homes along
the Parkway and elsewhere. With the Parkway, came
interest in development. Highland Park was developed,
in conjunction with the railroad, to house workers. Lots
were inexpensive and many railroad workers settled
there. Beechmont, Southern Heights, Oakdale,
Wilder Park, etc., were created to serve the growing
management level personnel, as well as a growing number
of business owners and professionals. The street car
made transportation back to the city a simple task.

In the 70's, the Beechmont Neighborhood Association was
formed to serve the area and represent it to the city.
It's borders took in more than just Beechmont or the
Beechmont Addition. They included the post-World WarII
developments south of the early housing, as well as the
areas already mentioned. The reasoning was that what
touched one section of the area, touched all of us and
we needed to stand together.

The housing ranges from late 19th century Victorian
through the early 20th century Arts and Crafts, such as
Colonial Revival and the ubiquitous Bungalow, to the
post-war Cape Cod and a few ranch-styles sprinkled in
here and there. Many of the old homes have been, and
are being, restored to their original luster by young
(and more than a few older) families who find Beechmont a
good place to live and raise their families. They are
ecstatic about the recreational qualities of the Parkway
and its' gracious trees and grassy areas, as well as the
special points along its' course that offer a bench or a
cool drink on a warm day. Naturally, the whole
neighborhood comes out to celebrate the runs that take
place on it, including the Derby Festival's Mini-
Marathon.

The neighborhood association sponsors a number of
events, including a street party and Christmas on the
Corner at the Gazebo. Its annual Festival of Flowers
was created for the many gardeners in the area. The
Beechmont Garden Club has a long history of award-
winning activities and the Beechmont Woman's Club
conducts annual house tours which often include the
historic homes in Beechmont. The Iroquois Branch
Library is convenient and readily accessible to everyone, adults
and children alike, with special programs such as
computer classes and stage presentations geared to the
young ones. There is a new elevator that is completely accessable to the handicapped. The Beechmont Community Center offers
programs and classes for all ages, including art,
ceramics, weight-lifting, a senior nutrition program and
an AARP chapter.

The population is diverse, showing one of the highest
rates of minorities, not including Blacks and Hispanics,
in the metro area. Part of this is immigration and part
is due to the nearness of the University of Louisville as
well as being served by several bus routes that go, not
only to U of L, but straight downtown to JCC at Second and Broadway. Occupations are
just as diverse, running from professional to service,
including management levels, and business owners.
Levels of education range from MD,JD and Phd to Ged.

Many of the residents are third or fourth generation of
their families to live here and many just got off the
plane, but it works. They stay and bring others. In
fact, they like it enough to invest not just their
money, time and energy, but their deep love for and
belief in Beechmont as a wonderful place to live

About our association

A Short History of the Association

The area we call Beechmont has been organized since the early 1930s. The first group was the Beechmont Civic Club, representing a much larger than the current BNA coverage area. The area was booming, and many people were willing to work to keep it an excellent place to live.

One of the achievements of the Beechmont Civic Club was financing the Iroquois Branch Library by selling certificates of ownership for one square inch of land for 50 cents apiece. The library was built in 1938, in the depth of the Depression. In more recent times, one outstanding accomplishment was securing the former Beechmont Elementary School for a Community Center.

Over the years, club members were involved in many problems facing the neighborhood. They helped stop the proposed 12-lane widening of the Watterson Expressway and made their voices known on behalf of southwestern Jefferson County, demanding that the partially-completed I-265 be finished so that this part of the county would have the same access as the far eastern corridor.

Over the years, the Beechmont Civic Club did a lot of good, but times were changing and a civic club was not chartered in a way that was recognized by the federal programs for neighborhood revitalization. In addition, they took in a larger geographic area, making it difficult to represent each and every neighborhood. In the meantime, neighborhoods in the area were organizing to solve their own problems.

When the bridle path was closed to horses, it was covered with tanbark and made a very poor surface for cars. A group organized under the name Southern Parkway Preservation Association, and they worked with the Beechmont Civic Club on common goals of preserving the Parkway and eliminating blight throughout the neighborhood. At the same time, a high speed express bus line on the bridle path was proposed. Public hearings were held, and the good people of the south end were so enraged that they destroyed the proposal.

During that time, the group decided to reorganize under the name of the Beechmont Neighborhood Association. They set about drawing boundaries, including like housing and like problems within those boundaries. BNA has worked for years to restore the grandeur of the linear Parkway, as well as to address the varied needs of all the areas of our neighborhood.

Today, we have grown have membership totaling more than 10 percent of our residents. Projects include neighborhood cleanups, beautification, special events, and others.