Waggener High School - RingBrothersHistory.com

The Voice of St. Matthews, January 6, 1955: St. Matthews Story In 1954St. Matthews Story In 1954 Was One Of Growth With More To ComeThe St. Matthews story in 1954 was one of growth. Few accurate figures were available on just how much, but everyoneagreed it was the best record in the State, and would continue to be in the coming year.An estimated 400 homes were built, construction was started on a Y.M.C.A., a half dozen churches announced buildingplans, and scores of new businesses opened or were in construction.Dr. K. P. Vinsol, executive secretary of the Louisville Chamber of Commerce, offered some statistics. St. Matthews areapopulation, over 42,000 by the end of 1953, would rise to over 47,000 by the end of 1955, and to nearly 59,000 by the endof 1963, he said. The number of families was 11,677 at the beginning of 1954. He predicted that figure would rise to12,184 by the end of 1955 and to 16,300 by the end of 1963.There will be 225 retail businesses here at the end of 1955, he said, compared with 194 at the beginning of 1954, and the1963 figure would be 280.To service this growing population, civic groups, churches, the Board of Education and businesses went to work.The biggest item in the building picture for 1954 was a ground-breaking ceremony held last month for the 30-store, 34 acreshopping center by Ralph Biernbaum on the south side of Shelbyville Road, between Hubbards Lane and the Inner BeltHighway.Two banks began construction in the same neighborhood and Citizens Fidelity announced it would expand its branch atBreckenridge Lane and Frankfort Avenue and would build another branch in this area.The Bank of Louisville began building at 4400 Shelbyville Road. In October it opened temporary quarters there, androcked the town when it announced that the new manager would be Ray Steltenpohl, a Citizens Fidelity mainstay since1938.A little to the west, on the other side of Delaney Furniture, which also opened here this year, Lincoln Bank and Trust beganconstruction in October of a branch and named John Emrich, 509 Oxford, manager.Taylor Drugs and Steiden’s opened a shopping center at the corner of U.S. 42 and Chenoweth Lane over the strenuous objectionsof residents in the area.Two schools were opened, Chenoweth Elementary and Waggener Junior High, with a total enrollment of nearly 1,400, anda combined value of about $1.5 million. The Y.M.C.A. broke ground for a $200,000 center on Hubbards Lane.Construction was started on a $1 million development on the old Potato Festival grounds on the north side of ShelbyvilleRoad, west of the drive-in theatre, by the Churchill Developers, headed by Ed Kaiser and John Stall. But the two men dissolvedtheir association, and so far, only a service station has been built.The end of an era in St. Matthews life, when individuals, not corporation, dominated local business life, seemed to be uponus when Anthony Eline sold his Chevrolet agency at 3914 Frankfort Avenue to the Caudill Company. Mr. Eline had soldcars in St. Matthews since 1913 and switched to Chevrolet in 1933. The Caudill Company moved to quarters on ShelbyvilleRoad, west of Pryor’s.The churches advanced at a rapid pace. In January, St. Matthews Methodist began a $45,000 addition and Bethel Evangelicaland Reformed opened a drive for $225,000 to expand and remodel existing facilities.Building was started on the Beechwood Baptist Church, which will cost abut $156,000. St. Matthews Episcopal in March,after only one year in its new church at Hubbards Lane and Massie Avenue, was readying a $165,000 fund drive for aneducational building.Harvey Browne Memorial Presbyterian Church in April let contracts amounting to $54,407 for improvements. Twomonths later, Holy Spirit Catholic Church opened its new $300,000 church for services.That same month, June, St. Matthews Baptist let contracts for $150,000 to enlarge its auditorium and to build a new educationbuilding, and Meadowview Presbyterian Church, Breckenridge Lane near Taylorsville Road, announced plans forbuilding a $60,000 education fellowship building.St. John Lutheran started a $22,500 building and expansion drive in September. The second Presbyterian Church in Octoberbroke ground for a $250,000 unit in rolling Fields.But there was failure in many areas. Displaying the same suicidal tendencies that almost wrecked the Highlands as a tradingcenter, downtown St. Matthews could not areee on a basic problem of liquor. Despite a good showing that the peoplepreferred Friday night openings, many stores, especially those dealing in woman’s clothes continued to stay open on Thursdays.