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21c Museum Hotel Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
700 W. Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
Original Property Opened in 1800
Historic Hotels of America member since 2019
art
Located within Louisville’s exciting West Main Street Historic District is the 21c Museum Hotel Louisville: the flagship establishment of 21c Museum Hotels. It has many pieces of contemporary artwork, including a fantastic remake of Michelangelo’s David situated just beyond its front door. The current building is composed of five historical warehouses that once catered to the tobacco and bourbon merchants that frequented the city’s vibrant riverside port. One of the structures even served as the lucrative Falls City Tobacco Bank for several decades during the mid-1800s. Since 2006, these marvelous historical buildings have together formed the 21c Museum Hotel Louisville. The hotel features 91 guestrooms and contemporary art museum.
Discover
- Discover the Romanesque façade of the 21c Museum Hotel Louisville, which is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The flagship establishment of 21c Museum Hotels consists of five historical 19th-century warehouses for Louisville’s tobacco and bourbon merchants along the vibrant riverside port, including the Falls City Tobacco Bank.
- Discover historic details that complement the iconic Red Penguin throughout the 21c Museum Hotel Louisville. This historic hotel features reclaimed wood floors, hand-blocked linen upholstery, exposed brickwork and timber trusses, and glass transoms. See the golden double-size replica of Michelangelo’s David and visit the art gallery to see innovative artwork in the 9,000-square-foot space.
- Discover the unique artwork that adorns the walls of the 21c Museum Hotel Louisville. Among the brilliant pieces in the collection includes an immersive installation, The Practices of Everyday Life, by David Burns and Austin Young. Constructed from dozens of photographs, texts, and objects, this research-based work is intended to celebrate the culture of place, including recognition of Louisville’s LGBTQ history, Native heritage, and significant events of the 19th and 20th centuries.
- Learn about the History of the 21c Hotel’s Penguins that have remain part of the Hotel’s permanent exhibition since 2006. They were first debuted at 21c Louisville and 21c founders Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson purchased the sculptures after seeing them perched around the city at the 2005 Venice Biennale public art project. People really interacted with the penguins would be seen taking photos with them, taking them to dinner, and even just walking around with them. They became an icon and contributed to the hotel’s mission of making contemporary art more accessible to the public. Over a decade and many hotels later, each 21c has its own flock of Penguins and each are in the color that embody the singular identity of the city. (For those looking to visit them all: 21c Louisville, Red Penguin; 21c Cincinnati, Yellow Penguin; 21c Bentonville, Green Penguin; 21c Lexington, Blue Penguin; 21c Durham, Fuchsia Penguin; 21c Oklahoma City, Purple Penguin, 21c Nashville, Teal Penguin, 21c Kansas City, Sky Blue Penguin).
Explore
- Explore the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory located on Museum Row and part of the West Main Street Historic District in downtown Louisville. See the world’s largest baseball bat, which is an exact-scale replica of Babe Ruth’s 34-inch Louisville Slugger bat, and check out the Big Glove sculpture, which is handcrafted from a piece of 450-million-year-old Kentucky limestone.
- Explore the Muhammad Ali Center, which is dedicated to the Louisville native. The museum and cultural center features exhibitions on the famous boxer’s six core principles: confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, respect, and spirituality.
- Explore the Kentucky Derby Museum, which is dedicated to preserving the history of the Kentucky Derby on the grounds of Churchill Downs in Louisville. Explore two floors of family-friendly interactive exhibits and embark on a 30-minute guided historic walking tour at Churchill Downs Racetrack."
Experience
- Experience a gallery tour of the 21c Museum Hotel Louisville. Part of North America’s only multi-venue museum dedicated to contemporary art, most of the 21c Museum team is based out of Louisville.
- Experience a horse race at the famous Churchill Downs, which hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. Sip on a mint julep and take a tour of the historic racetrack.
- Experience all that the Louisville Mega Cavern has to offer. As the largest building in Kentucky, this former Kentucky limestone mine offers tours by tram or zipline, a mountain bike park, and a ropes course.
Taste
- Enjoy classic American cuisine along with one of the more than 120 Kentucky bourbons from the bar of Proof on Main, the signature restaurant of the 21c Museum Hotel Louisville. Check out the “Fallen Fruit: The Practices of Everyday Life” exhibit throughout Proof on Main, which celebrates Louisville, its history, and its people.
- Enjoy an unforgettable meal at Buck’s Restaurant, a signature restaurant in the heart of Old Louisville that is located in the historic Mayflower building. Dine among the white flowers, dark hunter green walls, candles, and artfully mismatched china, and enjoy live piano music every night.
- Enjoy a slice of Derby-Pie, Louisville’s favorite dessert, at Kern’s Kitchen. The secret recipe is only know by a small group of Kern family members and one kitchen employee, but features chocolate chips, walnuts or pecans, and a splash of Kentucky bourbon, all baked into a pie crust.
FEATURED ACCOMMODATIONS
Featured Offers
Best Available Rate
Book the Best Available Rate at this property on HistoricHotels.org and receive a complimentary one-year family membership (a $30 value) to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Stay Longer Experience More
The longer your stay, the more you save. Stay 5 or more days and receive:
- Deluxe suite upgrade
- One free room per 5 nights stayed
- Mini fridge and microwave
- 24-hour fitness center access with Peloton bikes
- 10% off gift shop purchases
- $10 mini bar credit per day
- Complimentary wifi and Business Center
