From 1913 to 1975, it was an important resource for many people in Louisville, KY. The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) offered inexpensive rooms to many people on their way to a better life, or unable to afford an apartment. But times changed, and by the mid-70s the "Y" wasn't able to maintain its goal of offering inexpensive, safe and convenient housing.

From 1977 on, the private St. Francis High School used most of the lower space at the former YMCA; however, the upper floors were mostly abandoned and deteriorated. But men and women with foresight saw a way to make the old YMCA a solution to part of the city's affordable housing problem. Earlier this year, HUD's Kentucky Field Office played an appropriate role in the ribbon cutting celebration for downtown Louisville's new Saint Francis housing development.

The "Y" is a genuine part of the city's legacy. During the review of the proposal by Louisville HUD's Multifamily Program Center, many of the staff reminisced about visiting and using the facility. Gene Snyder, recently retired as HUD Multifamily Development Chief, shared an experience common to many in Louisville: when he initially reported to work for the Federal Housing Administration, he spent his first week in residence at the "Y" before finding permanent accommodations.

Mayor Abramson presents Louisville Slugger bats to Holly Wiedemann and Tom Pike of St. Francis High School

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson presented a plaque to owner/developer Holly Wiedemann of AU Associates proclaiming St. Francis Day in Louisville. Metro Mayor Abramson also presented Louisville Slugger bats to Ms. Widemann and St. Francis High School Administrator Tom Pike. Kentucky Field Office Director Ben Cook cited HUD's continuing commitment to supporting the development of housing in underserved areas such as downtown Louisville. In a separate, non-HUD related project, the St. Francis High School consolidated its space and moved into a rehabilitated portion of the building. In the future, the school will remove a dilapidated parking garage on an adjacent site and expand its facilities with a new arts and athletic building.

Fondly referred to as "St. F," the project is a unique public/private partnership formed specifically to provide an adaptive reuse of this historic structure. The project includes 58 apartments on floors three through seven and approximately 18,000 square feet of commercial and retail space on the lower two floors. A $3,871,300 HUD-insured mortgage provided just more than half of the funds to rehabilitate the seven-story building. The remaining funds were provided through the Louisville Metro Downtown Housing Fund, Louisville Metro government, HOPE VI through the Housing Authority of Louisville and developer equity. The funding requires that 10 units be made available at reduced rent for housing authority designated low-income residents.