By Laren Hines

The University of Louisville was established in 1798, but was it really?

Archivist Tom Owen explained the lay of the land in a series of campus tours last Tuesday and Wednesday. Owen’s resume spans decades of work in history, politics, religion, and environmental activism, all of which he continues to perpetuate through his current archival work in Ekstrom Library.

His recent pair of tours of the Belknap Campus are part of his ongoing series “Tom Owen’s Louisville,” where he shares the history behind Louisville’s most iconic landmarks and buildings. His campus tours are an annual staple for many, sprouting from his contributions to the “University of Louisville: Belknap Campus” book.

Owen began the tour on the eastern steps of Ekstrom Library, notably named after English professor Willian Ferdinand Ekstrom. Owen immediately set himself apart with a lively cadence and quick-witted interjections, captivating a crowd of roughly 20 people on Wednesday.

He detailed the history of the relatively young building, all the way down to the 1850s-era cemetery it was built upon. Shipp Street, which now runs as a diagonal sidewalk through campus, once separated the “original” western half of campus from the east.

Owen moved briskly around The Quad and introduced the main through-line of the tour: Eight campus buildings, still in use by the university, that once made up Louisville’s Industrial School of Reform — Jouett, Ford, Gardiner, Gottschalk, Brigman, Oppenheimer, and Patterson Halls, as well as the Playhouse Theater.

The school housed delinquent and dependent children starting in 1854, and later expansions were made to accommodate girls and children of color. Buildings served as dormitories, classrooms, libraries, and laundry facilities, and the Theater served as a chapel. The property was abandoned in 1920 after the school merged with a different childcare facility, and subsequently purchased by the University of Louisville three years later.

Belknap Playhouse Theater, originally the Chapel for House of Refuge, built in 1874. (University of Louisville Photographic Archives)

The tour then stopped by the Parish Courtyard, named after Charles Henry Parish Jr., who served as the first Black professor at U of L.

Other notable stops included Schneider Hall, which was built on the former grounds of a Naval mess hall. The building was U of L’s main library upon its completion in 1955; it currently holds the Department of Fine Arts. Miller Hall, which houses the Information Technology Center, was the original Student Activity Center in 1959.

A detour to Grawemeyer Hall brought up another interesting discovery: the University’s original “birthday” was in 1837, when Louisville’s Medical Institute opened. “Founders’ Day” celebrations were based on this opening, including the centennial celebrated in 1937. The founding date on the university seal was originally 1846, in alignment with the acquisition of the school’s current name.

However, a researcher at the time found evidence of intention to establish the school 39 years prior as the Jefferson Seminary: There were enough physical assets of the Jefferson Seminary to benefit the University of Louisville. It was acknowledged in 1948 that the charter year was, in fact, 1798. Accordingly, UofL celebrated its 225th anniversary last year.

Owen swung back around to a more recent landmark near the Belknap Academic Building (BAB) – the 2020 Pavilion, an outdoor oasis dedicated to those whose classes and commencement were cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He cleverly found ways to tie up the tour’s tidbits; along the street walks near the BAB were commemorative pieces of the Naval barrack he had pointed out prior.

Tom Owen’s passion for Louisville’s rich history is a distinct landmark in itself. He is commonly called a “pied piper” of the city, whose storytelling and service is treasured by museums, government, and citizens alike. His Belknap Campus tour is just one notch in a well-decorated belt and a unique reminder of the historical landscape students traverse on a daily basis.

To keep up with Tom Owen’s Louisville, check out his Facebook or look out for one of his many historical city tours.