A building in the heart of Downtown Louisville could be up for a revamp, which we chat about on this week's Access Louisville podcast.

LBF Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett is on the show to share his latest reporting on the  Kentucky Home Life Building at 239 S. 5th Street. 

He notes that the Mississippi-based Thrash Group — plus an unnamed local partner — are planning to convert the building into a mixed-use development with residential units, a hotel and first floor retail, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the project. There are some legal hurdles to clear first, however.

The Thrash Group has submitted an application to Mayor Craig Greenberg’s Downtown Louisville Building Conversion Program to help fund the project, Louisville Metro Government Press Secretary Kevin Trager confirmed. The project is one of four finalists still being considered for funds.

Though ornate, the building has not been with out its difficulties.

Earlier this year, police converged on the vacant 20-story structure, which is across the street from Louisville Metro Hall, after intruders allegedly cut a gas line while trying to steal copper wire, as WDRB News reported. WDRB is Business First's newsgathering partner. Officials told WDRB that the inside of the building is covered with trash, debris, glass, scraps of copper and various discarded tools strewn everywhere. 

That's just the top of the show. 

We also discuss a building in the Highlands that formerly housed Bakersfield and Hopcat, which Stinnett reported is on the market. That gets us into a talk about restaurant turnover in the Highlands.

Additionally, Reporter Olivia Estright is on the show to talk about a potential new Aldi location in Southern Indiana and the potential sale of a golf course in New Albany. We also chat about the latest with the Monon South Trail, a vote to unionize at the BlueOval plant in Glendale, Kentucky, a looming shutdown of I-65 next year for road work and the news that VSimple is moving to Louisville. 

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify (which are linked above.) You can also listen in the player above.