A former Stock Yards Bank operations center in downtown Louisville will be the new headquarters of Catholic Charities of Louisville, church leaders announced at a press conference Dec. 14.
The Archdiocese of Louisville purchased the building at 435 E. Broadway for $5.1 million. The 33,656 square-foot building sits on nearly an acre at the northwest corner of Broadway and Jackson Street.
During the press conference, held in a board room of the building, Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre said he’s proud of the way Catholic Charities serves the community and that he’s excited about the purchase.
“The Catholic Church is one of the largest providers of social services in the United States and around the world,” he said. “Catholic Charities of Louisville embodies the social mission of our archdiocese.
Noting that the charitable work of the Catholic Church is rooted in sacred Scripture, he added, “I’m proud of all the ways that our Catholic Charities of Louisville serves this community in Louisville” as well as the 24 counties of the archdiocese.
The archbishop also explained that the agency’s current, aged headquarters on South Fourth Street doesn’t have the necessary infrastructure for the “important work” that Catholic Charities does.
The new building, a modern office space only recently vacated by the bank, has a finished lower level, main floor and second floor. It comes with 39 on-site parking spaces plus a 75-space surface parking lot at the nearby corner of Gray and Jackson streets.
Catholic Charities plans to reconfigure the interior to include communal work areas, client meeting rooms, classrooms and childcare accommodations for clients, according to Lisa DeJaco Crutcher, CEO of Catholic Charities.
She expressed enthusiasm for the purchase, highlighting the location of the new building. It’s located on a major bus route and close to other social service agencies, such as Goodwill and Metro United Way on East Broadway, St. John Center on East Muhammad Ali and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul on South Preston Street.
“We’re so excited and looking forward to being a part of this neighborhood,” she said during the press conference. “There are so many opportunities here for our clients to access other services. … It’s also going to be a wonderful opportunity for us to develop and improve the collaboration between our own programs.”
She noted that Catholic Charities operates a dozen programs, which can be challenging when employees are spread out across several offices. DeJaco Crutcher said she’s looking forward to having the agency’s employees under one roof.
Catholic Charities currently operates in several older buildings, including its headquarters on South Fourth Street and the St. Anthony Campus at 22nd and West Market Streets.
DeJaco Crutcher said she promised Catholic Charities’ employees this would be the last winter in the old headquarters, which struggles to be properly heated during cold weather.
“Frankly, our employees deserve better and we’re thrilled for them to work in a modern space with heat and hot water, reliable internet and a roof that doesn’t leak,” she said in the press release.
Catholic Charities initially planned to build a new headquarters adjacent to its current location on the campus of Holy Name Church, 2920 S. Third St., but rising construction costs due to the pandemic caused the agency to set that project aside, said Archbishop Fabre at the conference.
During the conference, Deputy Mayor Ellen Hesen presented DeJaco Crutcher with a proclamation from the mayor’s office. Hesen said Catholic Charities is a “key partner” in the city’s work to becoming a welcoming place where all have a place.
James A. Hillebrand, chairman and CEO of Stock Yards Bancorp said during the press conference that the bank’s operations center is moving to a new location. He also formally presented the building’s keys to Archbishop Fabre and noted with a laugh that Catholic Charities, operating in a former bank building, is getting a good security system.
