323 West Broadway, Louisville KY 40202

Conceived of and directed by the Fund for the Arts, ArtSpace, the W.L. Lyons Brown Theatre and the Fifth Third Conference Center are owned by the Fund for the Arts Properties Foundation, Inc., a Fund for the Arts partner corporation. ArtSpace is managed by the Fund for the Arts and the Brown Theatre and Fifth Third Conference Center are managed by the Kentucky Center for the Arts, under a contract with the Fund.

The historic W.L. Lyons Brown Theatre, which opened as Macauley Theatre in 1925 and was one of Louisville’s first live theatre venues, was a gift to the Fund for the Arts in 1998 from the Broadway Brown Partnership. Gifts in support of Phase One Renovations of the Brown Theatre were made by Brown-Forman Corporation, Owsley Brown Frazier, the Louisville Theatrical Association, the W.L. Lyons Foundation, Metro Louisville, and hundreds of Friends of the Brown Theatre.

On December 27, 2006, the Brown Office Building LLC, George Duthie, Clyde F. Ensor, J. Michael Ehrler, Kent S. Lloyd, William J. Receveur III, Sharon Receveur, Robin R. Knox, and Able Elevator Company, donated the street-level lobby and floors one through eight of the former Brown Office Building to the Fund for the Arts. The Brown Office Building LLC retained ownership of the ninth and tenth floors for future development as private condominiums.

The former Brown Office Building, which adjoins the Brown Theatre and Fifth Third Conference Center, was converted to ArtSpace, a mixed-use development that includes a non-profit business incubator; arts administrative offices, classrooms, and meeting spaces, a rehearsal hall and costume shop for not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions. In addition, through the generous support of Fifth Third Bank, the Conference Center was created.

Although ongoing ArtSpace, Brown Theatre and Fifth Third Conference Center renovations are financed by the Fund for the Arts, the Fund wishes to thank the following individuals and organizations who charitably financed or sponsored Phase Two Renovations, in whole or part:

The Bank of Louisville Foundation and Bert and Elaine Klein and Family in support of general ArtSpace renovations

Mr. and Mrs. Owsley Brown III for Brown Theatre audience chamber upgrades

Owsley Brown Fazier for the creation of the Brown Main Lobby

W.L. Lyons Brown Foundation for the Brown Theatre fire safety upgrades, plaster restoration, as well as the creation of the Brown Theatre Rehearsal Hall

Brown-Forman Corporation for the fifth floor non-profit business incubator renovations

Mildren V. Horn Foundation for the fifth floor communications infrastructure

Humana Corporation for sixth and seventh floor furnishings

PARC for construction of the ArtSpace Pedway to the parking structure

Metro Government for  the street enhancements behind the Brown Theatre

The nonprofit business catalyst, C², a collaborative effort between the Fund for the Arts, the University of Louisville School of Business, Center for Nonprofit Excellence and Jefferson Community and Technical College among others, sponsored by Brown-Forman Corporation, will serve as an innovative and valuable resource for all of our arts member groups.