Waggener High School - RingBrothersHistory.com

The Voice of St. Matthews, January 12, 1956: Not Altogether Suburban After 1955St. Matthews Not Altogether Suburban After 1955Of course, the builders ran into some trouble with residents, who sought to prevent commercialization of the areas aroundtheir homes.In January, the City of St. Matthews issued a “special uses” permit to allow construction of a telephone maintenance centeron property owned by R. W. Marshall west of Hubbards Lane and north of the L & N tracks. The neighborhood wasalarmed when the news got around that the phone company would station 60 trucks there. They feared for the safety ofchildren going to nearby Stivers, School and to Waggener Junior High.They organized the East St. Matthews Safety Council to fight the new zoning and named Frank Mimms, of 309 WestportDrive, an attorney. The Council took the case to Circuit Court and lost, and the maintenance center was built. People inthe Council however, did not take their defeat lightly, and they were instrumental in later forming and opposition party inan attempt to win control of the City of St. Matthews in the November election. Mr. Mimms was picked to head the Parity.But more about that later.In March the Citizens Fidelity Bank of St. Matthews completed construction of the first outdoor drive-in facility in JeffersonCounty. Henceforth, customers could do their business without leaving their cars.That same month the Bank of Louisville opened its $40,000 branch on the south side of Shelbyville Road, near the DelaneyFurniture company. Ray Steltenpohl, an outstanding St. Matthews citizen, was manager. Significantly, this bank had adrive-in window. Obviously the banks were adjusting to suburban needs.This was underlined in June when the Lincoln Bank and Trust Company, under the managership of John Emrich, also of St.Matthews, opened its St. Matthews branch at 4304 Shelbyville Road. The bank had parking for 60 to 80 cars, but a drive-inwindow was put in just the same, to meet all possible demands.In April, old-fashioned Breckenridge Lane was being transformed. The old Marshall Planing Mill was converted into thecolonial Building of 26 modern, air-conditioned offices by the Breckenridge Corporation headed by president Noah Pullen.Renovations, including parking for about 35 cars, cost about $50,000.Next door, architect Ed Augustus was putting up a two-story building, with his own offices to go on the second floor, andSherwin Williams Paint company on the first. The building, 20 feet wide and 160 feet long, cost $25,000.And still further down the street, at the corner of Willis Avenue and Breckenridge Lane, the Porter Point Company constructedits St. Matthews branch, a one-floor, 25 by 100-foot building, costing $21,000. It opened in July.In May, Cherokee Laundry president Dan Chitwood announced purchases of the A. L. Hensen Auto Paint and Body Shopat 124 St. Matthews Avenue, for $55,000. The building, he said, would be torn down, and “some type of building for business”would be put up. The Shop, in business for 43 years, had been in that address for 88 years.The Cherokee Laundry in April had opened a branch at 132 St. Matthews Avenue, in a new two-story building which, withthe ground, cost $95,000.On the heels of this announcement, came the news that Austin Pryor, owner of Pryor’s Restaurant, had purchased a plot ofground 170 feet wide and 300 feet deep from the American Legion Zachary Taylor Post 180 for $40,000. Mr. Pryor said heintended to build a restaurant which, with equipment, would cost $50,000 on the ground located on the south side of ShelbyvilleRoad just east of the Shelbyville road Plaza.The increasing pressure for more commercial zoning was alarming to the residents along Brownsboro Road. With St. Matthewsdeveloping so quickly, they felt it was only a question of time until further commercialization of Shelbyville Roadwould be impractical, and the builders would turn in concert to Brownsboro Road.The trend had already started. A super market and a super drug store had gone up at Chenoweth Lane and BrownsboroRoad, and realtor Hugh Doyle had announced in February that six or seven stores would be built on Brownsboro, west ofChenoweth, where the Variety Mill had burnt in December.Already organized inot the Brownsboro Road—U. S. 42 Protective League, the people, through their chairman J. W. Jones,announced they were starting a war chest to protect the residential status of Brownsboro Road.Brownsboro Road was the last attractive, non—commercial entrance left into Louisville. The League and other residents atthe end of the year were fighting desperately to protect it. Highway property owners were trying just as hard to commercializeit and thereby enormously increase the market value.In the summer, the Bacon’s store in St. Matthews was busily adding an extra floor onto its $1 million dollar store, whichwas only two years old. Builder and realtor Anthony Eline started work on a two-floor, 16 room office building at 3620Lexington Road, and further announced his firm would develop for residential use 68 lots on Dutchmans Lane, near BigSprings Golf Club.