“I have driven past this building my entire life… and I had no idea (it) existed.”
Located at 816 E. Broadway, the old Broadway Theater was once a staple of Louisville culture. The 800-seat space was built in 1915, and over its lifetime it served a number of purposes:
- It originally was home to vaudeville performances through the 1920s.
- In the 1930s, it was converted into a movie house — the old school projectors are still there.
- By the 1970s, the theater was known as Mad Hatter’s nightclub , hosting nationally touring rock acts like Pink Floyd, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, and Santana. (That rock history lives on with the space hosting studios for LRS102 , an online rock music radio station.)
- Since then, the theater was nearly demolished before it was converted into a furniture store + the home of Launch Louisville , a former co-working space.
The Broadway Theater, as it appeared when it opened in 1915.
Photo courtesy Archives & Special Collections , University of Louisville