A History of Change: Fourth Street, Louisville When one visits a major metropolitan city, its history lies in the facades of the buildings and how they are changed over time for many different reasons. Fourth Street in Louisville is a perfect case‐study example. Once the place to stay, shop, eat and work, stores such as Stewart Dry Goods which opened in 1907, Selman’s or Kaufman‐Straus were centers for family goods. Fourth Street, at one time, could have been considered a full‐day’s experience, shop, eat, take in a movie or the theatre. The Seelbach Hotel was developed by two immigrant brothers, Louis and Otto Seelbach. Their first hotel was in 1869. In 1903, the brothers built their landmark hotel on the corner of Fourth and Walnut streets. This hotel opened in 1905 and was described as having Old World opulence similar to hotels in Vienna and Paris. The hotel continued after the brothers died but it closed in 1968. As with other hotels in town, many owners were had. Since 2015, Historic Hotel of America now operates it through the Hilton system. The 1960s were tough times for downtown Louisville. As told to us on a city tour, a once vibrant place was being threatened by suburban growth and the rise of shopping malls. Demolition to many buildings also took place. To counter that, the city government decided to create a pedestrian area that tried to mimic suburban life, but as one put it, it also prevented parents from having access by car to drop off their children or park on the street. Shops and theatres on Fourth Street began to close. Decades later and millions of dollars spent to attract people to the downtown, the River City Mall, as it was known became a failure. Today’s Fourth Street has become a dining, night‐time and street concert venue. This photo program gives the opportunity to see for yourself what today’s Fourth Street Live offers. It is also the location of the Louisville Tourist Center. S acuri.net John R. Vincenti Fourth Street History, Louisville, Kentucky Sources: https://filsonhistorical.org/then‐and‐now‐fourth‐street‐and‐walnutmuhammad‐ali‐blvd/, https://historiclouisville.weebly.com/4th‐ street.html, https://brokensidewalk.com/2010/they‐tore‐the‐whole‐thing‐down‐fourth‐street/, https://brokensidewalk.com/2010/river‐city‐ mall/,http://www.pastperfectvintage.com/louisvillestores.htm, and http://www.seelbachhilton.com/seelbach‐experience, and http://www.4thstlive.com/dine‐drink‐play/venue/10/pbr‐louisville. .