Finding Historic House Accents in Louisville, KY

Architectural Salvage and Joe Ley's Offer Antiques, Building Parts

Nov 18, 2009 Bonnye Good

Historic homeowners benefit from architectural salvage businesses when trying to match or restore their homes at reasonable prices or to decorate with antiques.

Owners of older homes often spend months or years looking for woodwork, tiles or other materials to match the original details in their homes.

Fortunately, architectural salvage companies can make this search much easier while also offering a mesmerizing selection of both historic building components and antiques-- which is perfect when one family member wants to find the perfect drawer handle and the other wants an Art Nouveau figurine.

Finding Period House Parts in Louisville

Louisville, Kentucky, has two sizeable architectural salvage companies in the downtown. While each offers extensive selections in major house parts and smaller-sized antiques, Architectural Salvage and Joe Ley Antiques each offer a different but equally rewarding feel for buyers.

Regular Additions to Antique, Salvage Inventory

Due to the nature of obtaining the items from buildings that were demolished or remodeled, architectural salvage places will routinely receive new items while other unique finds are sold.

Architectural Salvage

Located in a group of large buildings, Architectural Salvage's 24,000 sq. ft. offers a maze winding through a small dusty interior to stacked exterior spaces and winds through a ca. 19th century home with gleaming woodwork and gorgeous furniture placed on oriental rugs.

Exit signs are helpfully placed to give shoppers an idea of the layout, and numerous rooms highlight treasures from several periods of American interior design.

Beginning the Adventure

In the first section, old sinks including the seafoam green versions highly sought after by certain restorers and small chandeliers shape the room. Once leaving the low-ceilinged space through a nearly unnoticeable door, the sense of wonder begins.

Rooms Burst with Unexpected Treasures

Enormous chandeliers, tile fireplace surrounds and room-sized bars occupy several rooms in addition to furniture of various periods and sizes. Interestingly, there were also several medallion sets commemorating Napoleon, Josephine and Marie Therese, highlighting Louisville's fondness for French history.

Exterior Courtyard Offers Wide Selection

The good-sized courtyard contains the traditional fountains, bathroom elements, and whimsical statues plus terra cotta fragments from dismantled commercial facades. Many people can repurpose the terra cotta work and Italianate corbels for garden and sculptural elements.

Joe Ley Antiques

Walking into the vast downtown building adorned by two gigantic toy soldiers is like entering a glittering, colorful world of high ceilings with almost every inch of wall and window space covered with detailed paintings and exuberant stained glass.

Antique Furniture, Period Stained Glass and Collectible Antiques

The top two floors and much of the bottom floor contain thousands of armoires, desks, beds, and small antique pieces from the Victorian period to French revival to 1960s stream-lined style. Buyers can find marble statues, enormous chandeliers, and an array of sparkling crystal near Victorian teacups.

House Elements from Bathrooms to Telephone Boxes

The cavernous basement offers room after room of wooden doors, bathroom and fireplace tiles, hinges, and everything else needed in a functional historic home. Homeowners can restore or update a fireplace with salvaged wooden mantels in curvy, embellished Victorian styles or with the straighter lines highlighting Arts and Crafts-era quarter-sawn oak mantels.

For homes without enough privacy, buyers can contemplate purchasing period telephone booths from the time when phones were connected to the wall. Clawfoot tubs and 1920s sinks are common finds as are antique doorknobs.

Antique Toy Room

As a bonus, there is a room-sized display of antique toys that are not for sale, but just to amaze.

Antique Statues and Urns

The outdoor courtyard and a second, larger outdoor area house numerous metal statues and fountains that once graced Louisville's homes and businesses.

Locations of Louisville Architectural Salvage Companies

Architectural Salvage can be found at 614-618 E. Broadway Road in Louisville, Kentucky. Hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm.
Joe Ley Antiques is located at 615 E. Market Road in Louisville, Kentucky. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.

The copyright of the article Finding Historic House Accents in Louisville, KY in Antiques & Collectibles is owned by Bonnye Good. Permission to republish Finding Historic House Accents in Louisville, KY in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Terra cotta medallion at Architectural Salvage

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