By Dominic Manecke, Building Kentucky
Mayor Greg Fischer joined leaders from Jefferson Community and Technical College, Luckett & Farley, Louisville Forward and Barnes & Noble College to celebrate the official opening of Jefferson’s upgraded downtown bookstore with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The 9,090-square-foot space will serve Jefferson’s more than 12,000 students, offering textbooks, school spirit merchandise, a marketplace of snacks and refreshments, and reading materials.
“Today is an exciting day for Jefferson and downtown Louisville as we celebrate the grand opening of our brand-new Jefferson Bookstore,” said Jefferson President and CEO Dr. Ty Handy. “Thanks to Luckett & Farley and Barnes & Noble College for their partnership in helping make sure Jefferson students have the dedicated space and resources to succeed academically, professionally and personally.”
Behind the adaptive reuse project
Luckett & Farley’s design and development teams collaborated with Jefferson leaders and the Jefferson Foundation to rehabilitate the underutilized building. Exterior improvements better reflect the urban environment of the downtown campus and interior changes, including aesthetic enhancements like flooring and paint, mechanical upgrades, structural repairs and modernization for energy efficiency, extend the life of the aging facility.
“Downtown Louisville continues to evolve to become a vibrant urban campus for students thanks to investments like this by forward-thinking community builders,” noted Luckett & Farley Higher Education Market Director William Maffett. “Luckett & Farley was lucky to partner with Jefferson to further the revitalization and development of our hometown and our own neighborhood. The adaptive reuse of this bookstore brings another attractive addition to the Broadway corridor and will serve as a gateway to the Jefferson campus for years to come.”
Formerly in the basement of a nearby building, the revamped urban bookstore is now at street level transforming the look of the busy 2nd and Broadway intersection and delivering a better experience for students at the community college campus. The adapted building at 200 W. Broadway was previously a bank headquarters and incorporates the original bank vault as a lounge space.
Visit the new bookstore
The Jefferson Bookstore, operated by Barnes and Noble College, is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to noon.
