Jefferson Square Park

Jefferson Square Park in Louisville, KY was built in the 1970s, replacing what was called the “Center Building.” It sits across from the District Court, the Circuit Court, City Hall, and the County Clerk, some of which were built as early as the 1870s. It looks most like Andres Duany’s “Double Axial Square,” though it does not contain any buildings, because of the central circle and the paths that jut out from it. It is supposed to serve the same general function as the agora or the forum–a central place where people can congregate, especially because it sits in front of buildings that hold symbolic and practical weight. There have been many kinds of public political events there, from gatherings to commemorate fallen firefighters and policemen, to protests against the city and the police department for the killing of Breonna Taylor. It is in part because of these more recent protests that I chose this square: it has become a central fixture in Louisville that it hadn’t been beforehand, a now vital space that draws and captures attention.

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