![]() In a panic, he went into denial and tried to send her away. Unfortunately, this mistress, Maggie, became pregnant with Fred’s child in 1893. He was on very friendly terms with the madame of one of Louisville’s bordellos, as was well acquainted with the young women who worked there. His appetite for intimate liaisons was enormous, leading first to unhappiness, and then tohis demise. In both of David Domine’s books, Ghosts of Old Louisville and Phantoms of Old Louisville, he gives readers some great information on the activities of Alfred Victor DuPont when he was alive, and in his afterlife, in both Central Park and the DuPont Mansion on occasion.Īlfred Victor DuPont’s secret lifestyle choices got him into some real trouble. ![]() In 2002, the Warrens received the Louisville Historical League’s Historic Preservation Award. Luckily for the public, the mansion was rescued by the Warren family, who bought it in 2000, invested heavily in it, and established an upscale Bed and Breakfast. Enough work was done to get it on the market, though it still was considered a woebegone fixer-upper which would take a lot of investment, time and TLC to make profitable again. In the late 1990s, initial funds were invested to first stabilize and then save the home. By the 1990s it really had sunk to a deplorable state and needed a lot of work. Rental properties don’t often generate enough income to cover repairs and renovation. ![]() The years were not kind to it, as keeping a Victorian in good shape takes a lot of money. Biederman DuPont had his own home down the street.Īround the turn-of-the-century, the town home would be put to work when it was divided into apartments. The DuPont family eventually sold the town home mansion to Thomas Prather Jacob and his family, in 1886, as Alfred Victor had no interest in living there, and they no longer needed living quarters for visiting relatives. In 1904 the city bought this huge plot of greenery from the DuPonts, and officially turned it into a park, changing its name to Central Park. Concerts, balloon raisings, and other activities were staged there for the entertainment of the town. It was a town home for family who dropped in periodically to help run their businesses, and for Alfred Victor to stay once in awhile, when he needed to meet with his brother, or for family events.Īlfred Victor, a bachelor, didn’t live there full time, but preferred instead to reside in the downtown Galt House Hotel suite, mostly because he had a very active singles life, to say the least, and he didn’t want his family to know what he was doing.īiederman generously opened up his front yard and grounds, known then as DuPont’s Square, to the public as a recreation area, a place for families to enjoy a picnic and for children to play. The brothers would built a second mansion just a 1/2 block north of Park Avenue, just up the street from Biederman’s villa. In 1870, Biederman and his family bought a stone and brick Renaissance villa country home, built on the highest point of what is now Central Park. In a short time they became prominent, successful and well thought of. One of them was The AV DuPont and Company, which not manufactured and distributed paper and gunpowder. In 1854, two of the DuPont brothers, Alfred Victor and Biederman, came to Louisville, and started some enterprises. A lovely wooden staircase connects the floors to the main entrance hall. Also, decorative, Italianate plaster moldings and huge, hand-carved Italian marble fireplaces add much to the ambiance of the place. In its 10 bedrooms, all the expected creature comforts of a well-to do 19th century manse are there, and all the modern conveniences of present day accommodations.ĭecor from the past includes 14-foot ceilings, 10-foot doors and windows to match, lovely hardwood/parquet floors, and some nice antique furniture. In this elegant mansion visitors will find the usual public area rooms seen in Victorian abodes. It was built by the DuPonts in 1879, to provide a place to stay for all of the family relatives, originally from Delaware, who came down to Kentucky to help start new ventures and run the family’s various businesses. The DuPont Mansion is a glorious three story, decorative Victorian era Italianate-Renaissance “palatial town home”. As a spirit he tries to make amends while still giving unwanted attention. Alfred Victor DuPont’s secret lifestyle choices got him into some real trouble.
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