In 1973, Mayor Harvey Sloan oversaw the creation of Louisville’s
first Landmarks Commission, modeled after an ordinance in New
York City, making preservation public policy for the first time
in the city. Now 39 years later, Louisville has created on
average two Individual Landmarks a year, seven Landmarks
Districts, a new merged government structure with new political
dynamics, and the Metro Council has voted to change how
preservation happens in the city. In early February, Metro
Councilmember David Yates sponsored an amendment to Louisville’s
Landmarks Ordinance, complaining the original system lacked
oversight, accountability, and public participation. Quickly
joining Yates, eight additional council members, mostly
representing suburban districts around the old Urban Service
District, signed on as cosponsors. The amendment was introduced
in Metro Council on Thursday, February 9, 2012, and over the
proceeding six months, politicians and preservationists clashed
on how Landmarks designation procedures should