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Churchill Downs

Louisville, Kentucky
County of Jefferson.
700 Central Avenue
National Register Number: 78001348
 Resource type: Structure.
Property type: Recreation Facility. The threat level was Watch in
2006.
Congressional District: KY-3 Certified Local Government: NO
This NHL offers public access.
Please contact the NHL directly for visitor information.
Current use/information: Race track.

Statement of Significance (as of designation - October 21, 1986):
Modeled after Epsom Downs in England, this track was laid out in 1874 by Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, a prominent Louisville horse breeder, in an attempt to stimulate the thoroughbred industry. Since 1875, it has been the home of the Kentucky Derby, the internationally renowned race of three-year-old thoroughbred horses, the first phase of the Triple Crown.

Substantial additions to the grandstand have adversely affected the NHL’s historic character, and evaluation of the new construction’s effect on the property’s historic integrity is needed.


Comments and questions about the database may be directed to NHL_info@nps.gov