Crews demolish iconic Hogan's Fountain Pavilion in Louisville's Cherokee Park

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- With several community members watching just across a fence, crews tore down Hogan's Fountain Pavilion Wednesday afternoon.

The pavilion was known as a landmark that was part of Cherokee Park since the 1960s. Recently the city ordered an emergency demolition of the pavilion after it found extensive deterioration, making it unstable and in danger of collapsing.

The events that led to this demolition started a while ago. A complaint from a park visitor about the condition of the landmark led to the pavilion closing in May 2022 because of safety concerns.

Since then, there have been several structural assessments. Each time, the engineering firm involved recommended demolition or repairs that could cost up to $1.3 million. The city ordered a fourth structural assessment just last month before ordering the structure to be demolished.

For some, like Cliff Shulman, Wednesday's demolition brought up several emotions.

"It's watching an old friend being buried and I don't like going to funerals," said Shulman.

He's lived nearby for about 40 years and said this pavilion brings memories of his children's birthday parties, weddings, and other happy events. He's upset about the city's decision to tear it down, rather than paying to repair it.

"Why destroy something that has this much history, is that unique? And has a lot of people around this area in Louisville that have a lot of memories in there? All it is is a step or two more to do it, and that hasn't been fully explained yet," he said.

Several others stopped to take one last picture of the pavilion before it was destroyed. Many of them stayed to watch it fall.

"I'm happy to see the space be functional again," said Aaron Ellis, another Louisville resident. "I'm sick of this fence and if it had to go, it had to go, I guess."

Ellis said he's like to see the space turned into grass and trees, just a simple spot where he could play fetch with his dog. But others who showed up to watch the demolition, like Rachel Loftis, said she'd like to see another iconic structure replace the pavilion.

"I hope they can replace it with something just as significant," said Loftis.

It's still not clear exactly what will replace Hogan's Fountain Pavilion.

Wednesday, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said he'd like to see another shelter built.

"We will be working with our Parks Department, with neighborhood representatives, with the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, to ensure that we do have a new structure that is built that we hope is also a new architectural icon for the park and our community to enjoy," said Greenberg.

A dumpster was brought to the demolition site of the pavilion Wednesday as it was torn down, but Greenberg said he's hopeful some of the wood can be saved to be used in the future.

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