The Comfy Cow

Though this building is not on Louisville’s Landmarks list it has its own preservation success story. Genny’s Diner began next door as an eight-seat restaurant and grew to over 175 seats. In 2001, the owner bought this 100 year old Queen Anne house to raze as a parking lot.

Before that happened, Clifton was named a local preservation district in 2003 and the owner was unable to get the permission of the Metro Landmark’s Commission to tear it down.

Fixing up the house at the time would have cost about $300,000, so the owner let the house fall into disrepair. He amassed many code violations and in response to court orders, he tried to give the house away as well as sell it. None of the neighborhood advocates of the restoration stepped up to buy or take the property, until the Comfy Cow stepped in.

They were able to buy the property for fair price, and along with many perks thrown in by the city, the house was renovated in 2009 as retail and office space. The former neighborhood eyesore has become a popular neighborhood destination.

www.thecomfycow.com