800 Tower City Club Apartments, formerly The 800 Apartments, is a skyscraper just south of Downtown, Louisville, Kentucky, and an example of modern architecture. The building is named after its address of 800 South Fourth Street. The 29-story, high structure was designed by the Louisville architectural firm of Arrasmith and Tyler in a partnership with the Chicago architectural firm of Loewenberg and Loewenberg.
History
Construction began in 1961 and the building was completed in 1963 at a cost of $6 million. It was built by F. W. "Fritz" Drybrough, who lived in the penthouse for years. The architect was Louisville architect, W. S. Arrasmith. The 800 was the tallest building in Louisville from 1963 until the completion of PNC Plaza in 1971 and was Louisville's tallest residential building until Waterfront Park Place was completed in 2004. The 800 was considered a very upscale residence in its earlier years but its age and upkeep have dimmed its luster somewhat. Its desirability as residential housing has also been affected over the decades by the somewhat gradual progression of Louisville's central business district from the nearby Broadway area at the time the building was new to the Main Street and Market Street areas several blocks to the north. The building sold for $3.95 million in 1997, considerably less than what it was built for, even without adjusting for inflation, and renovated in 1999. On June 16, 2015, Michigan-based property management firm, Village Green announced the purchase of the 800 Building, and renamed it 800 Tower City Apartments, and began renovations expected to exceed $10 million, and take 18 months.
Architectural features
The building, which has a continuous-pourreinforced concrete frame, has an aluminum curtain-wall system on its exterior with the color of the aluminum panels being a distinctive turquoise blue. As a result, local residents sometimes refer to it as "The Turquoise Tower of Power", a nickname used by disc jockeys who used to broadcast from the building in the 1980s. The building features an underground parking garage and four 29th floor penthouses along with an outdoor area on the roof. All rental units, except those on the 2nd floor, have outdoor balconies. The ground floor has in various years featured a restaurant from time to time, and in 2017, Bar Vetti, a new Italian restaurant with indoor and outdoor patio seating opened. The main building of the Louisville Free Public Library is across the intersection of Fourth Street and York Street from the 800.
