Downtown Louisville tower set for interior demolition to make way for proposed luxury hotel

Indianapolis-based Ghoman Group is planning a JW Marriott hotel in the 26-story tower.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Interior demolition will start soon at a downtown Louisville tower to make way for a new luxury hotel.

Indianapolis-based KennMar filed a permit to start the work in the former Brown & Williamson Tower on South 4th Street, according to our partners at Louisville Business First.

Indianapolis-based Ghoman Group is planning a JW Marriott hotel in the 26-story tower.

The interior demolition of the 446,594-square-foot office building is expected to cost $1.2 million, LBF reported, citing a filing with Louisville Metro Planning and Design.

Plans for the luxury hotel near the city's central entertainment district call for 418 guest rooms, flexible meeting and event space and ballroom, according to a release on the developer's website. The hotel will also include five restaurant spaces, a rooftop bar and 954 square feet of retail space.

Plans call for a third-story, 11,700-square-foot ballroom on top of an existing surface parking lot, LBF reported, citing a filing with Louisville Metro Planning and Design. The ballroom, as well as a second-story addition, will act as a canopy above the hotel's guest drop-off area, with several parking spaces outside of the lobby.

There is also a proposed 1,400-square-foot outdoor seating area facing West Liberty Street.

Construction on the $31.2 million project is expected to begin "soon," with an expected opening date sometime next year.

KennMar bought 401 S. 4th Street in April 2023 for $9 million, but the tower has been losing tenants including its major anchor, Fifth Third Bank.