There is no timeline for discussions about the possible replacement of Hogan’s Fountain Pavilion

More than a year after the iconic Hogan’s Fountain Pavilion at Cherokee Park has reached its end, there is still no timeline for public discussions about the site’s future.

The well-known shelter built in 1965, perhaps better known to some residents as the “Witch’s Hat” or “Teepee,” was demolished last summer amid concerns it was in imminent danger of collapsing.

At the time of its demolition, Mayor Craig Greenberg said the city intended to “find funding to build a new structure for neighbors, families and future generations to enjoy.”

As of October, there had been no movement on plans for the site and “no reportable timeline,” said Jon Reiter, a spokesman for Louisville Parks and Recreation.

He noted that there is an agreement that if a new structure is erected on the site, it would be part of a larger project that includes the nearby sprayground and playground.

“There would definitely be a community involvement component to it,” he said. “But there hasn’t been any concrete movement yet.”

Last summer’s emergency demolition order came about two years after a citizen reported concerns about the structure’s safety in May 2022, and the site was closed to the public.

Inspections revealed extensive wood rot and the structure was found to be moving, posing a threat of collapse.

The parks department sought in December 2022 to demolish the structure, though the Landmarks Commission rejected that request in March 2023, saying there were options to save the local landmark.

The city appealed in April 2023, citing safety concerns, and by July the emergency order to destroy the flag was issued.

For months of debate over his future, the structure was reduced to an unrecognizable pile of wood and shingles in about 20 minutes.

No dedicated budget, specific calendar

Jesse Hendrix-Inman, spokesman for Olmsted Parks Conservancysaid while the Hogan’s Fountain area “is absolutely on the radar,” there is no timeline for discussions on a potential future project.

“Our major part in this will probably be to start with community engagement and a public input process,” she said. “When there’s an improvement in an Olmsted park, we usually do the community engagement and public input process to determine what amenity needs are there.”

The nonprofit Olmsted Parks Conservancy works with the city to support park improvements in the city’s 17 Olmsted-designed parks, which include Chickasaw, Seneca, Iroquois and Cherokee parks.

This privately funded organization focuses on a segment of the county’s more than 120 parks.

As for where the Hogan’s Fountain Pavilion site falls on the priority list, both Reiter and Hendrix-Inman cited a long list of deferred maintenance at parks throughout the county.

Parks Department dashboard of deferred maintenance projects from the current and most recent fiscal year shows about $17.8 million in projects in Louisville.

The 2023 Parks for All Studyheaded by the nonprofit organization Louisville Parks Alliance, Deferred maintenance needs noted in Louisville’s parks system exceed $177 million.

It also analyzed park conditions, historical investment levels, and environmental justice factors and developed a recommended ranking of parks for future capital investment. Cherokee Park landed near the middle of the rankings.

Reiter also noted that there is no dedicated funding for a project at the former pavilion.

Before the demolition, city officials said repair costs ranged from $900,000 to $1.3 million. The demolition cost the city about $60,000, Reiter said.

“There’s never enough money to go around, so we do our best with what we have to be fair when investing in the parks system,” Hendrix-Inman said. “When it comes to the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, we look at historical park investments or divestments.”

She noted that the demolished pavilion was primarily a shelter, and the Cherokee Park site has a nearby shelter, the Stenger Pavilion, that was built in 2018.

The former pavilion on Bonnycastle Hill was a distinctive mid-century modern addition to the public park, which was designed in the late 1800s by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

After a series of repairs in the 1970s and 1980s, in 2010 the pavilion faced the threat of demolition after a general plan for the Hogan’s Fountain area by the city and the Olmsted Parks Conservancy concluded that the pavilion did not align with Olmsted’s vision for the park and should be replaced with two smaller shelters.

However, a preservation group raised more than $70,000 for the roof and other repairs, and the city agreed not to level the structure, The Courier Journal previously reported.

“Frederick Law Olmsted was the father of landscape architecture, and the entire park system was very carefully designed,” Hendrix-Inman said. “Part of our role is to look at historic park master plans and make sure we respect the landscape architecture that has been established in these historic parks. So we will never go in and put a structure without considering how it relates to the surrounding landscape and amenities.”

Reach growth and development reporter Matthew Glowicki at [email protected] or 502-582-4000.