Sitting on top of a small incline on Frankfort Avenue, the old Hilltop Theater building (1757 Frankfort Ave.) is hard to miss. Majestic and imposing, with larger-than-life letters displaying its name on the front of the structure, the theater has long since stopped welcoming patrons for Sunday afternoon matinees. Now a renovation is breathing new life into the building, a century after its doors first opened.
“It wasn’t anything like what you see now, when we bought the building,” says owner Mo Deljoo, who has spent the last three years restoring the old movie hall. “I think this could be a really cool place in Louisville, by the time it’s finished.”
Considered state-of-the-art for its time, Hilltop Theater opened almost exactly 101 years ago, in January of 1915. At the time, Moving Picture World raved about its cutting-edge features and the high-quality materials that went into its construction. “Pretty suburban picture house a model of elegance,” the headline read, “erected at a cost of $25,000.”
One hundred years later, Deljoo would use the article’s colorful and very specific descriptions of the building’s architecture, landscape and design to restore the antique theater to its former glory. He bought the building in 2012, long after its days as a theater had come to a close. After its heyday, the building was used for a country and western jamboree, before being used as a storage building for a local business. Deljoo says the project started as a real estate investment, but the massive renovation effort became a hobby.
“It requires a lot of patience…to see what the [Hilltop Theater building] is going to come out to be in the future,” Deljoo says. “It challenges me, and I enjoy making something out of nothing.”
The building holds fond memories for several people still living in the Clifton area. Virginia Forest remembers walking to the movies on Friday and Saturday nights with a large group of kids that lived on the surrounding streets and paying a quarter to see stars like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers on the big screen.
“It wasn’t overly expensive and our families could afford it,” Forest says. “It was just one of those places kids had a lasting memory of. It was an enjoyable part of my life, and I’m glad I had that experience as a kid.”
The Appeal of a Historic Preservation District
The Hilltop Theater building is just the latest in a long string of historic structure renovations on the Lower Frankfort Avenue corridor in the Clifton neighborhood. Nearly every business on the block resides in a building that has some history, and it has everything to do with the fact that Clifton has been designated a Historic Preservation District. Frankfort Avenue Business Association (FABA) President Andrei Moldoveanu says those requirements have created a culture of locally owned businesses.
“It attracts a crowd of people that want unique [places], that want a little off the beaten path but still familiar” Moldoveanu says. “You get more of a big city feel when you have this kind of character.”
Sweet Surrender Dessert Café (1804 Frankfort Ave.) may have been one of the earliest actors in the business boom at the intersection of Frankfort Avenue and Pope Street. Owner Jessica Haskell says she faced some major renovations to the former apartment building, built in 1894, before the bakery could open in its latest spot in 2008. She says her regular customers quickly found the shop, but it took a few years before Sweet Surrender was surrounded by successful neighbors.
“For a while we felt like we were just this little island and businesses came and went,” Haskell says. “Now the businesses that are here have been here a little while, and we’re all really friendly. As a dessert business it’s great to have restaurants around us.”
On the other side sits Buzz Advertising, (1801 Frankfort Ave.) one of the newer kids on the block. After buying the 130-year-old former grocery store and saloon in April 2014, owner and agency president David Grantz spent a year renovating the building before moving his business from its old location on East Oak Street. He says the decision to move to Frankfort and Pope had a lot to do with the ripple effect of downtown development.
“If you follow both East Market and East Main Street back, they both lead to Frankfort Avenue,” Grantz says. “I was interested in the corner lot, and its visibility as you drive up Frankfort.”
He adds that Clifton is conveniently positioned between downtown Louisville and the city’s east end. “As far as where we’re located, you could get on I-65, I-71 or I-64 in a matter of minutes,” Grantz says. “Advertising is about differentiating yourself from your competition. A lot of agencies are downtown, but we have the best of both worlds.”
The Impact of a Whiskey Honky-Tonk Former Firehouse
Grantz says much of the Frankfort Ave./Pope intersection’s success comes after the opening of The Silver Dollar restaurant (1761 Frankfort Ave.), which is located in a 19th century firehouse that remained active until 2009. Silver Dollar’s manager Sara Kelly says turning the red fire station into a whiskey honky-tonk didn’t require very much restoration. The restaurant reached an agreement with the city of Louisville to preserve the character of the building and after a few finishing touches, the rest was history.
“I love the thought of taking something old, making it into something new and maintaining every ounce of its integrity,” says Kelly, who believes Silver Dollar’s historical context has added to the popularity of the bar and restaurant. “I think it’s a draw for many people. You’re not just going to get a bite to eat, you’re also seeing some history along with it.”
She agrees that unique, locally owned businesses, rather than chain restaurants and big box stores, set Clifton apart from some of Louisville’s other neighborhoods. Kelly says the old-world atmosphere gives locals and visitors something to talk about.
“I’m always going to go for independently owned, eclectic places,” said Kelly. “I think our neighborhood puts that out there.”
Business & Community Collaboration
Haskell says the Historic Preservation District distinction makes the neighborhood friendlier for local companies. “There aren’t a lot of chains that want to move into a historic building and follow the rules,” she says. “I think part of it is that Louisville, in general, has more local restaurants. I think it’s also that the people who live in this neighborhood want to support local businesses.”
It’s that enthusiasm for the unique that’s propelled a good relationship between the businesses themselves and brought the community out for some collaborative events. Last fall, the Clifton Community Council held the first Clifton Chili Cook-Off at the intersection. FABA also sponsors the Frankfort Avenue Trolley Hop on the last Friday of each month.
Moldoveanu says events like the Trolley Hop go a long way towards helping with Clifton’s growth, especially in the several blocks closest to Butchertown. “The trolleys and events bring people to the area who wouldn’t necessarily come here,” he says. “It provides a benefit to the residents who live in an area where things are going on. It brings traffic to the area and a lot of it is beneficial to the full picture.”
Deljoo also has the big picture in mind as he looks for a tenant to lease the former Hilltop Theater. With only 18 parking spaces, he says that the building will probably not relive its past glory as a movie hall or spot for performing arts. But its size and layout make it ideal for a restaurant owner. Still, he says he’s not rushing the process and knows that a tenant would have to put some money into the finished product.
“I’ve been very patient with this one,” he says, “slowly trying to find the right person, the right business. It needs to be a person with the financial backing to take on a project like this. And [who] also has the vision to do something like this.”
Deljoo is optimistic about how the once-popular movie theater will soon greet customers again in a different form. “In my opinion, the Frankfort Avenue corridor is where the future growth is going to be in the city,” he says. “I’m very positive about the future.”
