21C Museum Hotel
700 W. Main St
Louisville, KY 40202
I had the day off today and decided that it was a good chance to head on over to the endlessly fun 21C on W Main St downtown. I think that the 400-900 blocks of W Main house some of the coolest things in Louisville like The Louisville Science Center, Louisville Slugger Museum, great restaurants, The Belvedere, 21C and more!
Just for a bit of background, according to the 21C website,
"21c Museum Hotel in Louisville, KY is the first of its kind-a 90-room hotel dedicated to world class luxuries, Southern-style hospitality and contemporary art from living artists. The hotel features a 9,000 square foot contemporary art museum funded and managed by the International Contemporary Art Foundation. This stunning collection of cutting-edge art, including Red Penguin (2005) by Cracking Art, inspired the naming of this property and influenced the creation of the museum and hotel. For the finest in libations and culinary creations, Proof On Main, managed by ACE Unlimited, is among the nation's top best new restaurants."
Basically it is a huge hotel downtown that doubles as a free contemporary art museum and it is open to the public 24/7! It houses some great, original and creative work and even features local art like a recent enchanting installation by Mickie Winters. I snapped a few rough photos inside and out to help you get an idea for it. The waterfall-looking picture in the hotel was actually taken from inside the men's bathroom looking out into the hallway, and the mirror above the sink has a bunch of inset eyes who watch you. Needless to say, the whole thing is a fun experience.
Upon entering you will notice a large white, plastic sheet on the floor with a video of a couple sleeping displayed on it. And above the hotel check-in counter is a series of life-like statues of children from various cultures in their natural state (read:naked) and the front room houses a large smattering of various pieces of art. If you take a right then you will also come to a side-room which is typically the video installation room, but currently houses a beautiful installation by Olivier Blanckart of paper-mache-esque sculptures. If you walk through the corner of the big room next to the video installation room, you will be stepping into Proof on Main which is one of the most exciting restaurants in the city, let alone the downtown. I've heard that Wednesday night Fried Chicken is a can't miss and that the Bison Burger is to die for.
From the main room, you can also turn left which will have you passing various works of art in the hallway and if you are a gentleman (or non-gentle) you should check out one of the coolest bathrooms ever. The main room also has stairs in the back to lead to the downstairs which has several rooms displaying various installations and permanent works like the psychedelic hallway. There are rooms and alleys to explore galore. It makes for a fantastic afternoon.
If you're like me, you might feel like you are going to be asked to leave because you are not a guest of the hotel, but don't feel that way! The museum is actually open 24/7 and the staff is very kind and accommodating to visitors.
After the museum I mosey-ed on down the street to a little oasis in the downtown called Fort Nelson Park. It's just a small (approx.) 20ft x 20ft park with some benches and a fountain in the middle and a lot of history writings/plaques/monuments about the original settlement of Louisville. It is kept up (except for the fountain) and you don't have to watch your step because no pets are allowed! It's such a cool spot because it has a very St. James Court feel where it's like a big garden in the middle of a concrete jungle. Walking out of the back of the tiny park you will notice another plaque explaining more about how Louisville was a by-product of Lewis and Clark's expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase. They actually set out on the Ohio River to begin their quest from Louisville right out by Corn Island (the original settlement). The back of the park also houses two different options: River Walk or Garden Walk. Due to a severe amount of construction underneath I-64 for Museum Plaza (which was just halted til the economy betters), the River Walk is not an option, and I had never noticed the Garden Walk before. It is to the left and if you look close you'll see a little dirt-covered cobble-stone path hugging the flood wall and nestled in with an nominally-appropriate display of significant growth and human abandonment. This little path leads to Yarmuth Garden which is a little picnicking area located behind the wonderful Louisville Science Center. From the garden you can access the Science Center through the rear doors.
Now, I leave you with pictures:
Basically it is a huge hotel downtown that doubles as a free contemporary art museum and it is open to the public 24/7! It houses some great, original and creative work and even features local art like a recent enchanting installation by Mickie Winters. I snapped a few rough photos inside and out to help you get an idea for it. The waterfall-looking picture in the hotel was actually taken from inside the men's bathroom looking out into the hallway, and the mirror above the sink has a bunch of inset eyes who watch you. Needless to say, the whole thing is a fun experience.
Upon entering you will notice a large white, plastic sheet on the floor with a video of a couple sleeping displayed on it. And above the hotel check-in counter is a series of life-like statues of children from various cultures in their natural state (read:naked) and the front room houses a large smattering of various pieces of art. If you take a right then you will also come to a side-room which is typically the video installation room, but currently houses a beautiful installation by Olivier Blanckart of paper-mache-esque sculptures. If you walk through the corner of the big room next to the video installation room, you will be stepping into Proof on Main which is one of the most exciting restaurants in the city, let alone the downtown. I've heard that Wednesday night Fried Chicken is a can't miss and that the Bison Burger is to die for.
From the main room, you can also turn left which will have you passing various works of art in the hallway and if you are a gentleman (or non-gentle) you should check out one of the coolest bathrooms ever. The main room also has stairs in the back to lead to the downstairs which has several rooms displaying various installations and permanent works like the psychedelic hallway. There are rooms and alleys to explore galore. It makes for a fantastic afternoon.
If you're like me, you might feel like you are going to be asked to leave because you are not a guest of the hotel, but don't feel that way! The museum is actually open 24/7 and the staff is very kind and accommodating to visitors.
After the museum I mosey-ed on down the street to a little oasis in the downtown called Fort Nelson Park. It's just a small (approx.) 20ft x 20ft park with some benches and a fountain in the middle and a lot of history writings/plaques/monuments about the original settlement of Louisville. It is kept up (except for the fountain) and you don't have to watch your step because no pets are allowed! It's such a cool spot because it has a very St. James Court feel where it's like a big garden in the middle of a concrete jungle. Walking out of the back of the tiny park you will notice another plaque explaining more about how Louisville was a by-product of Lewis and Clark's expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase. They actually set out on the Ohio River to begin their quest from Louisville right out by Corn Island (the original settlement). The back of the park also houses two different options: River Walk or Garden Walk. Due to a severe amount of construction underneath I-64 for Museum Plaza (which was just halted til the economy betters), the River Walk is not an option, and I had never noticed the Garden Walk before. It is to the left and if you look close you'll see a little dirt-covered cobble-stone path hugging the flood wall and nestled in with an nominally-appropriate display of significant growth and human abandonment. This little path leads to Yarmuth Garden which is a little picnicking area located behind the wonderful Louisville Science Center. From the garden you can access the Science Center through the rear doors.
Now, I leave you with pictures:
1 comment:
Ah, wow.
That looks like an incredible place.
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