Former Louisville Music College Undergoing Construction

The city is trying to give the building a new life.

Caroline Bourgard moved her college of music and art to the building at 2503 W. Muhammad Ali Boulevard in 1927.

She envisioned the Bourgard College of Music and Art as a place where Black youth could get access to music and learn the craft.

When Bourgard founded the school, Jim Crow laws were in effect and prevented Black people from getting the same educational opportunities as white people.

It was the art school in the city to serve Black children and remained open until 2017.

The city took ownership of the college’s building in 2020 as it had begun to fall into disrepair. In 2021, then-Mayor Greg Fischer announced Louisville had received a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service to rehabilitate the building.

“What we’ve done at this point, we’ve redone the roof system, which is all new roofing, all new exterior, trim, all new soffit,” said Rico Williams, a development manager with Metro Government. “Everything is going back original, as it was from the original building standpoint”

Williams said the city is creating a space for community use.

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For the people involved in the project, keeping as much as the original building’s character is paramount to their plans.