Hillerich family donates $1 million historic Smoketown property to 2 nonprofits

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- After sitting vacant for years, a property in Smoketown is getting new life thanks to a huge gift from a prominent Louisville family.

The big, empty, fenced-in lot at the intersection of Preston and Finzer streets was the first Hillerich bat factory in the late 1800s, foreshadowing the Louisville Slugger Museum of today.

Now, the land will be used to further the lives of Smoketown residents.

The Hillerich family was on hand for the announcement Wednesday as it donated the $1 million piece of land.

They partnered with the Community Foundation of Louisville in 2015 to determine how it should be used. The foundation spent months getting feedback from the community on what the site should be.

They decided give the land to two nonprofits. The Louisville Association for Community Economics will get half to build a cooperative grocery store. And Rebound Inc. will get the other half and create a community land trust focusing on things like affordable housing for Smoketown residents.

The foundation said some people won't agree with the decision since neither organization has experience with what they're going to do.

"For me, that is the greatest advantage of this decision," said Ramona Dallum Lindsey of the Community Foundation of Louisville. "We are allowing space for these two organizations to prove what is possible when community leaders are fully resourced to imagine, collaborate and try."

The grocery plans to break ground by the end of 2023 on its half and Rebound Inc is working on creating its resident-filled board of directors for their half currently.