The 800 Apartments facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The 800 Apartments |
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The 800 Apartments
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| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Residential |
| Location | South Fourth Street |
| Coordinates | 38°14′37.85″N 85°45′32.77″W / 38.2438472°N 85.7591028°W |
| Construction started | 1961 |
| Completed | 1963 |
| Opened | 1963 |
| Renovated | 2015–16 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 290 ft (88 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 29 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | W. S. Arrasmith |
| Developer | F.W. "Fritz" Drybrough |
The 800 Tower City Club Apartments, once known as The 800 Apartments, is a tall building in Louisville, Kentucky. It stands just south of the city's downtown area. This building is a great example of modern architecture, which is a style of building design from the 20th century.
The building gets its name from its address: 800 South Fourth Street. It has 29 floors and stands about 290-foot (88 m) tall. The design was a team effort. A Louisville company called Arrasmith and Tyler worked with Loewenberg and Loewenberg from Chicago to create this unique skyscraper.
A Look Back in Time
Building the 800 Tower started in 1961 and finished in 1963. It cost about $6 million to build back then. A man named F. W. "Fritz" Drybrough had it built, and he even lived in the very top apartment for many years. The main architect was W. S. Arrasmith from Louisville.
When it was finished in 1963, the 800 Tower was the tallest building in Louisville. It held that record until 1971, when a new building called PNC Plaza was completed. It was also the tallest apartment building in Louisville until 2004, when Waterfront Park Place was built.
For a long time, the 800 Tower was a very fancy place to live. But as it got older, it needed some updates. In 1999, the building was renovated to make it look better. Then, in 2015, a company from Michigan bought the building. They renamed it 800 Tower City Apartments. They started a big renovation project that cost more than $10 million and took about 18 months to finish.
Cool Features of the Building
The 800 Tower is built with a strong reinforced concrete frame. Its outside walls are made of a special aluminum system called a curtain-wall. These aluminum panels are a bright turquoise blue color. Because of this unique look, some local people call it "The Turquoise Tower of Power." This fun nickname was even used by radio DJs who used to broadcast from the building in the 1980s!
The building has some great features for its residents. There's an underground parking garage, which is very handy. On the 29th floor, there are four special apartments called penthouses. There's also an outdoor area on the roof where people can relax. Almost all the apartments, except those on the second floor, have their own outdoor balconies.
Over the years, the ground floor of the building has had different restaurants. In 2017, a new Italian restaurant called Bar Vetti opened there. It has both indoor seating and an outdoor patio. Right across the street from the 800 Tower, at the corner of Fourth Street and York Street, is the main building of the Louisville Free Public Library.
| Preceded by Commonwealth Building |
Tallest building in Kentucky 1963–1971 |
Succeeded by PNC Plaza |
