Phoenix Hill Tavern lore says performers would rub the old moose’s chin, a staple at the bar and performance venue, for good luck.
Now the moose needs a new home.
The mounted moose was among the tavern property auctioned off after the bar closed in 2015. Joe Kresovsky and his wife Lee, who are part of the local band Wicker Frog and Cup o’ Joe, purchased this music scene relic for $1,500 and gave it a prominent spot it in a vaulted room in their home. Now, as the Kresovsky family braces for a move to Charlotte, they’ve had to make a tough decision. Last week they posted on Facebook looking for the moose’s next guardian.
They’re hopeful someone will “adopt” this piece of Louisville history.
“He’s part of the family, but he belongs in Louisville,” Joe told me sincerely when we spoke on the phone Monday.
The moose was mounted over the fireplace in the iconic Louisville haunt for generations, and he was positioned in a way that he looked directly at the stage each evening. For four decades, Phoenix Hill Tavern welcomed live music and customers near the corner of Baxter Avenue and Broadway. It was the kind of place where undergarments flew unceremoniously atop a giant fan and where three bands would jam every weekend night.