LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville family is transforming a church near the Highlands into an arts center, according to reporting from our partners at Louisville Business First.
The former Highland United Methodist Church at 1140 Cherokee Road will soon be home to a new community arts hub by the end of the year, if all goes according to plan.
The 130-year-old former church will house studio and exhibition space, as well as an event hall for performances, workshops and private events.
The space includes a 4,200-square-foot sanctuary, a garden level with a kitchen, a common area and additional rooms. The property also includes a three-story, 10,500-square-foot school building, an outdoor patio and an adjacent 20-spot parking lot at 2013 Patterson Ave.
Lightdark LLC — doing business as Highlands Art Center — bought the property for $1.1 million in mid-July. Co-owner Judson Baker told Business First the group plans to redevelop the property in three phases. The first phase will involve converting the school building into rentable art studios ranging in size from 125 to 1,000 square feet.
Baker said once that conversion is complete, the center will have about 24 studios with features like keypad entry, adjustable lighting and climate control.
The second phase calls for renovating the lower and upper levels of the sanctuary, which has additional rooms and restrooms.
Phase three will involve transitioning the church basement into an event space.
Baker's partners in the Highlands Art Center ownership group are his life partner, Nicole; sister, Britany; her husband, Frankie Steele and father, Charlie Baker.
As Highlands residents, Britany Baker said it's important that the former church be reused for a purpose that serves the community.
"We're not on Bardstown Road," she said. "We're inside the neighborhood. The church and school are going to morph into a different kind of learning and shared community."
Britany, Frankie and Charlie also own the building at 1433 S. Shelby St. in Shelby Park that houses Art Sanctuary, through 1433 S. Shelby St. Studio LLC, and their experience there gave them the confidence to tackle the Highlands project.
Robert Auerbach, the co-founder of Rainbow Blossom, and his daughter Star were the former owners of the property. They had planned to turn the church into a hotel before Auerbach passed away in May 2024. The Auerbachs did receive historic tax credits from the city to redevelop the property that the new owners can use.
Louisville Business First reported in March that the building was put back on the market for $1.35 million
Baker said his family believes the art center will be a good fit for the Highlands.
"We're not rebuilding anything -- we're trying to restore the building to what it's supposed to be," he said. "We've talked to dozens of neighbors who are very interested in the idea of this being in the community, going along with the Cherokee Triangle art show and the small concerts they do in the park. We want this to feel more like a part of the community rather than just a business."
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