The Hogan's Fountain Pavilion was a large gazebo and picnic shelter of mid-century modern architecture built in 1965 and located in Cherokee Park, Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It was a prominent landmark in Cherokee Park until it was demolished in 2023. The pavilion was available to rent for a variety of events. When not rented, the pavilion was freely accessible to all park visitors. It was the most popular site within the park, renting for $150 per day, and raised more than $18,000 a year. It was located atop Bonnycastle Hill and acted as an architectural centerpiece along the park's 2.4-mile (3.9 km) scenic loop. The pavilion itself had a 200-seat capacity, with eight grills and picnic tables. The area surrounding the pavilion features a playground, a spray ground, a basketball court, horseshoe pits, an area for volleyball, and a softball field. Hiking and biking trails are also located near the pavilion.
Structure and development
Architect The Hogan's Fountain Pavilion was originally designed by Edward Jacob (E.J.) Schickli Jr., of Tafel–Schickli Architects in 1964. Schickli felt that a conical "wigwam" or "teepee" shaped design was appropriate as it reflected Cherokee Park's Native American-derived name. Born in January 1928, Schickli graduated from MIT in 1950, became a registered architect in 1954, and became President of the West Kentucky Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1961. Other prominent civic contributions by Schickli included the design of the original Louisville Zoo and Botanical Gardens in 1969 and Louisville's Standiford Field Airport expansion project in 1970, currently called the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.
Design
The pavilion had an atypical, octagonal-shaped roof. Designed to be rustic in appearance, the pavilion was intended to have a wood shake shingle roof. However, per a notation by M. Newton on February 5, 1965, into the original blueprint, he approved the shingle change from shake to that of cement shingles laid over a single layer of 15 lb. asphalt felt. The shape of the shelter garnered a great deal of media and public attention. "It will be a departure from the usual rectangular-shaped shelters built in parks in the past." Al Blunk, photographer for the Louisville Times, captured an early construction shot of the raising of the oversized laminated wood beams. The Louisville Times reported, "Beams curve skyward, hinting at the shape of things to come." The floor of the pavilion was constructed of a round concrete pad, originally with a large interior circular fire pit surrounded by wooden picnic tables. Above the fire pit was a 13-foot (4.0 m) diameter smokestack which provided proper venting. The sides of the building were left open to help facilitate cooling by transferring the warm air upward through an opening at the top. Exiting the top of the covered roof, copper was clad to the exposed structural beams to cap them from the elements. The addition of copper gutter beds and scuppers highlighted the unconventional structure. The laminated wood beams were anchored in eight concrete buttresses sheathed with native stone from the area. Lastly, a rectangular brick façade building was attached to the west side of the pavilion that housed the restrooms. The finished teepee structure measured 56 ft (17 m) wide by 56 ft in height.
History Commissioned by the City Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, George F. Kinkead in 1964, the originally named Hogan's Fountain Pavilion and Comfort Station, which was subsequently shortened to Hogan's Fountain Pavilion project was put out for bids. Out of 15 offers, the bid from C.G. Campbell & Son, Inc. was chosen and they were awarded a contract of $49,915 with a projected "ready for use" time of early May 1965. According to Cynthia Johnson in a 2012 Local Landmark Designation Report for the Metro Historic Landmarks and Preservation Districts Commission, "the facility was originally named the McCall Shelter in honor of Alderman C.W. 'Ches' McCall who was killed in an auto accident in 1962. ... Although the structure was officially named for McCall, the local vernacular continues to refer to the shelter as the 'Teepee'." In October 1965, Mayor William Cowger dedicated the pavilion.
1973 tornado damage and repairs On April 3, 1974, Louisville experienced an unprecedented number of tornadoes, dubbed "The Super Outbreak". The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported "massive devastation, 335 dead . . . more than 6,000 injured" in the storms. Approximately 2,200 or (75%) of the park's mature tree population was destroyed by the tornado. However, the pavilion survived aside from some missing shingles. After the tornado an ad was placed in the Louisville Times on September 30, 1974, requesting bids on repairing the pavilion's roof. Six bids were entertained with the highest being $8,975 and the lowest from Kentucky Lumber Co. who was awarded the contract for $2,110 labor. The materials for the roof consisted of 15 squares of 18" x 1/2" hand split cedar shake shingles and 160 linear feet of hip shingles at a cost of $652. Work on the roof began on September 18, 1975. In an effort to repair the damaged roof at a cost-saving, Parks Department officials elected to place the wood shake over the existing cement shingles. Engineers Rangaswamy, Hatfield and Associates were paid $2,000 on October 6, 1978, for detailing needed structural repairs to damaged support beams. An ad was placed in the Louisville Times on December 4, 1978, requesting bids. In 1979, structural beams #6 and #7 were encased in steel to strengthen the pavilion's supports for $12,000. Engineers Rangaswamy, Yost and Associates were contracted by the Parks Department for what was dubbed Phase II of needed pavilion repairs. On June 30, 1983, some painting was done and repairs were made to the smoke hood and flue. The creek stone on the abutments was also tended to for the amount of $850. On July 15, 1983, work began to encase the water damaged beams #1, #3, #5 and #8 in steel at a cost of $16,000.
The March 2, 1989 repair drawings explained the process of inserting two rows of ¾" solid rods 12" deep thru the existing beams, plug welding and then grinding smooth, whereas the commencement of encasing beams #2 and #4 with ¼" steel began. Additionally a 90˚ bent ¼" steel plate was welded onto all eight beams to prevent children from climbing onto the roof.
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