Humana executives say future vacant building 'not good' for downtown Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Louisville business owners remain hopeful for the future of downtown as Humana executives address the company's decision to sell its iconic 27-story tower. The move, announced last week, leaves uncertainty about what will happen to the Humana Tower, a key fixture in the city's skyline.

Humana President and CEO Jim Rechtin acknowledged concerns about the building's vacancy while speaking at Greater Louisville Inc.'s annual meeting.

"We now have a building that will effectively be vacant in downtown Louisville. That is not good for Louisville," Rechtin stated.

Rechtin did not sit down for a one-on-one interview but spoke about the company’s efforts to collaborate with local and state officials.

"We are working as closely as we possibly can with the city and to some degree with the state, but most of the work is directly with the city to say, 'Okay, what do we do with that building? How do we make this a productive transition for downtown Louisville?'" he said.

The decision to move employees from the tower to Humana’s Waterside building, located a few blocks east, came a month after Rechtin took the helm at Humana last year. Company executives said about 5,000 of its 10,000 workers now report to downtown locations. Early last year, it said 2,500 employees were working downtown.

"Change was needed here. We needed to get our team in a single location, and then you debate where is the right place. The energy that you find in the Waterside building, the ability to collaborate, for our teams to move around and actually co-locate more easily—it is a better environment for how work gets done today," Rechtin explained.

Humana previously filed a lawsuit in 2023 over structural issues in the tower, stating that necessary repairs could take several years. Commercial real estate experts said it remains uncertain whether a potential buyer would take on those costs or if they will be factored into the sale price.

Humana executives said the tower will likely remain occupied until the end of the year as employees transition to the new space. The fate of one of Louisville’s most recognizable buildings remains undecided, but business leaders said they are optimistic about downtown’s resilience in the face of change.

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