Beecher Terrace rebuild taking shape in Louisville
Crews are a few months away from finishing the first phases of the multimillion dollar revitalization project
Crews are a few months away from finishing the first phases of the multimillion dollar revitalization project
Crews are a few months away from finishing the first phases of the multimillion dollar revitalization project
Crews are just a few months away from finishing the first phases of the Beecher Terrace revitalization project, which will cost more than $200 million total.
Rebuilding the affordable housing complex is part of the Russell neighborhood’s transformation plan.
Phase I is the four-story senior housing building.
Phase II is a miltifamily building.
Alex Hunn, the project manager for Messer Construction, said the first two phases are on track to be done by September.
“You're going to be able to see a huge difference,” Hunn said.
Even with incomplete construction, Courtney Robinson told WLKY News that he is already benefiting from the investment.
Robinson, a Louisville native, is one of the workers hired form the surrounding community.
Nearly one-third of the workers involved are from neighborhoods near Beecher Terrace.
“It was built in '39; it's 2020,” Robinson said, “So, revitalization is something that was needed.”
Robinson said his grandmother and other relatives have lived in the affordable housing unit in the past.
Working on the new development is special to him because he recently graduated from the Louisville Urban League's “Kentucky Builds” program.
Upon completion, he had multiple certifications to begin his construction career.
“It just put me in the best position I've ever been in, as far as employment, because I now have a career, I don't (just) have a job,” Robinson said.
Crews are finishing drywall inside each of the buildings.
The roof is more than 80% done on the Phase I building. Plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems are underway, too.
“It's really starting to take shape, starting to look like a building,” Hunn said . “This is going to completely turn this area around.”
Added Robinson: “The growth is not just starting here, it's going all the way down to 30th and Muhammad Ali (Boulevard) with the Norton's complex going up for the Urban League.”
The first two phases cost about $50 million.