Century-old Buechel train depot was bought for $1. Here's what the developer has planned.

The blare of an approaching train would send Sadie Iovenko to her grandfather to beg him to take her a few houses down to the Buechel train depot.

She’d tally the rail cars rolling past the old wooden building, counting as high as she could.

It’s a fond memory of her visits to her grandfather’s house and a big reason Iovenko vied to own the property when the city’s Landbank Authority offered it for sale for $1 in 2022.

More than a year of planning later, Iovenko was selected to develop the 1898 train depot, a caboose that’s parked on site and the 4 acres it sits on off Buechel Avenue.

“I wanted to focus on making sure many different types of people can come and engage here,” she said. “I’m really excited for people to have a place like that to come to and enjoy.”

Her project intends to return the space to more active use by varying the site’s offerings while preserving its train-centered landmarks. Here’s what the Louisville native has planned for the historic space.

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Originally from Louisville, Iovenko went to college out west and was working in Los Angeles when the pandemic hit in 2020. Job cuts and other personal factors drew her back to Louisville. In 2022, she was one of about 30 people who submitted proposals to take on the property and revitalize it as a community asset.

The Landbank acquired the property in the summer of 2021 for $1 from a Buechel nonprofit that was interested in seeing its history remain while reimagining the space for the neighborhood, said Chris Robinson, community engagement manager, at an April landbank meeting.

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"This property is unlike anything that the Landbank normally gets," he said. "We don’t usually get properties in this part of town, and we don’t usually get properties that are as unique as this one."

Iovenko’s plan calls for the rehabilitation of the depot building, 2230 Buechel Ave., into a short-term rental space (which she calls a "do tank" instead of a think tank) for small businesses and creatives for work, retail or exhibit space.

“The sky’s the limit, and there’s so many possibilities,” she said. “Part of the reason why I want to offer the short-term rentals … is to keep the community engaged. They’ll have new things to come and see all the time. It’ll keep people visiting the property.”

A one-third-mile walking path is planned, as is a meditation labyrinth and raised-bed community garden. Local plants and flowers will fill a pollinator garden.

The parking lot is expected to host farmers and vendor markets and a seasonal pop-up drive-in theater. Yard games and seating are envisioned for a social gathering green space around the caboose, which will be restored and serve as a hub for serving non-alcoholic drinks and food.

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She also plans to add a train dining car with a kitchen where food will be prepared on-site.

Iovenko estimates the work will cost more than $300,000. The various markets, food sales and short-term rental space are intended to financially sustain the project, she said.

“I’m asking a lot, right? I’m asking people to trust me,” she said. “But I also want people to understand I’m really going to do this really awesome project. It’s going to happen. And it’s going to make an amazing place for people in this neighborhood.”

Century-old train depot has changed hands a few times

Built in 1898, the wooden train depot was originally located about a mile away from its current location, along the railroad tracks at Bardstown Road. It notably helped during the flood of 1937, transferring equipment and refugees to higher ground.

The depot was used for both passenger and freight up until the mid-1950s, after which it became an office for the Southern Railway system.

That use ended in 1987 when clerical jobs were moved elsewhere, and the next year, the railroad donated the building to the county.

The wooden structure was then moved to where it currently sits along the railroad tracks at Buechel Avenue on land donated to the county by Buechel businessman Bill Collins.

It was said to be the county’s only remaining wooden train depot, The Courier Journal reported at the time. Plans called for the building to be renovated and include a museum, though funding struggles stalled the effort for more than a decade.

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The depot was refurbished in 2002 after the county and Buechel residents came together to add fresh paint and lighting along with new bathrooms, windows and flooring. A brick plaza and exterior fencing were also added at the time.

Train and history enthusiasts showed up in vintage cars and engineer caps for the rededication of the depot, which also featured a small train museum.

As for the caboose that now sits on the site, a neighborhood nonprofit that ran the depot in recent years bought it in 2007 for $3,000 after spotting the graffitied, wheelless caboose in a parking lot of a vacant bar on Poplar Level Road, The Courier Journal reported.

After buying the property from the county in 2008 for $1, the nonprofit largely used the depot building for event rentals and meeting space.

The Louisville and Jefferson County Landbank Authority, which acquires distressed properties and sells them to developers in hopes of putting them back to productive use, bought it from the nonprofit in 2021 for $1. One of the stipulations of the sale was the preservation of both the depot building and the caboose.

Iovenko reiterated her commitment to rehabilitating both structures. And while a museum or train-specific programming is not part of the plan, she said she wants to assure train enthusiasts who still post up at the depot to watch the trains pass that they’ll be welcome there.

Expect a 2-year window on the development

While she now has possession of the property, no major work will get underway until a rezoning from residential to commercial works is decided upon by the city. Until then, Iovenko said she’ll be focused on securing and cleaning up the property.

The terms of the land transfer require Iovenko to finish her project within two years. If found to be non-compliant, she would need to return the property to the landbank.

But looking out at the property that she now owns, Iovenko said she can see her vision brought to life.

“This is probably going to be part of my life’s work,” she said. “Hopefully I’ll be here trudging around as a 100-year-old lady helping people garden.”

Business reporter Matthew Glowicki can be reached at mglowicki@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4000 or on Twitter @mattglo. 

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Century-old Buechel train depot has a new owner. Here's what to expect