Historic buildings in the Highlands could transform into hotel and restaurant

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Two buildings on Bardstown Road in the Highlands that are more than 100 years old have been sitting empty for at least a decade.

The history properties that sit at the corner of Bardstown Road and Rosewood Avenue have changed hands many times in recent years, but land records show they were purchased last month for about $1.1 million.

"I would just stare at these buildings are wonder why they aren't something," said Ben Botkins, who, along with his wife, Sarah Mattingly, bought the buildings. "Why they are just sitting there dormant?"

Botkins and Mattingly have big plans.

"We're going to build out a 21-room "apartment hotel" with a bar and restaurant off the front," Botkins said.

The pair own Parkside Bikes and also operate a short-term rental business called Bed and Bike with locations in NuLu and the Highlands. People will be able to rent the rooms in the new "apartment hotel" for a night, or long-term guests can stay up to three months.

Botkins said the police station was built in 1909, and the Bell South building went up in 1917. The plan is to preserve the history of the buildings.

"They need a full restore, and that's what we intend to do," Botkins said.

The couple said the intention is to make these buildings a destination for visitors and locals.

highlands historic building — The old buildings will be transformed into an apartment/hotel where guests can stay for one night or up to three months.

"If we were to only do an apartment hotel, maybe that would be for out-of-town guests only or out-of-town guests that may be traveling to visit someone that lives in the neighborhood," Mattingly said. "But by having the restaurant, people that live here can also get to enjoy the buildings."

The project is being called the Ballet Hotel for now, but the final name hasn't been finalized. The decor will play off of the history and the architecture of buildings.

"What I have envisioned is something that is true to the era in which these buildings were at their peak," Mattingly said. "So Art Deco, think Great Gatsby, that kind of timeframe."

Project rendering — Rendering of the patio outside of the building, the brick would remain and the building would not be painted white.

The couple is working with the city to clear all necessary hurdles to get the project underway. Botkins said he met with the neighborhood association recently, and the feedback was positive.

"Our hope is that this going to be done well and shows as an example of a project that can go from a state of disrepair to thriving again so that we get more revitalization down the corridor here," Botkins said.

The goal is to have the "apartment hotel" operational by the fall of 2020.