Iconic Hogan's Fountain Pavilion in Cherokee Park to be Demolished

An iconic landmark will soon be turned into rubble. An emergency demolition has been ordered for Hogan’s Fountain Pavilion.

Hogan’s Fountain is the most recognizable feature at Cherokee Park in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s arguably the most popular park in the city and was originally designed by Frederic Law Olmsted, who’s best known for creating Central Park in New York City.

The Hogan’s Fountain Pavilion was built in 1964. It’s unique architecture tucked into the hills of the Highlands made it a popular meet-up place, especially for kids who were fixing to get into some trouble. If you’re between the ages of 30-60 from the city of Louisville, there’s a good chance you did something you weren’t supposed to do at the scenic site.

The design made Hogan’s Fountain stand out, but it also may have played a role in its downfall. Complaints caused Louisville Metro Parks to shutdown the site in May 2022. Four different structural assessments have been performed since and each one provided a gloomier outlook.

According to WDRB, the firm Tetra Tech estimated it would cost between $900,000 and $1.3 million to repair the decaying structure. “A report on the damage said the structure was in danger of an unexpected or uncontrolled collapse and repairs would be ‘a very dangerous, difficult, and expensive operation.'”

Louisville Metro Parks is razing the structure later this week. They plan on replacing the pavilion with a new building, but specifics on what it may look like, costs, etc. are currently unknown. Even if the next structure is the nicest in the Western Hemisphere, it’s going to be awfully difficult to top the charm and memories that Hogan’s Fountain Pavilion brought to Cherokee Park.

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