At first glance, 21c Museum Hotel looks like any other building in
Louisville’s urban museum district. Architecturally beautiful, its stone
facade blends in with the surrounding historic neighborhood. That is,
until you look up and a bright red penguin overlooking the main entrance
catches your eye. Turn the corner and a 38-foot Styrofoam and steel,
gold-painted replica of Michelangelo’s “David” hints there is something
different about this particular spot.
It’s a museum masquerading
as a hotel at night. And it’s a hotel with the most impressive
contemporary art collection outside of New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
It’s no surprise 21c has been touted as one of the world’s coolest
places to stay.
Contemporary art collectors Laura Lee Brown and
Steve Wilson had two passions. The first was to contribute to
revitalization efforts in their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The
second was to share their love of contemporary art and help make it a
part of peoples’ daily lives. They partnered with renowned architect
Deborah Berke to renovate five former warehouses, and in 2006, their
dream materialized in the form of 21c Museum Hotel. The name itself pays
homage to the 21st century, when all the art in the museum hotel was
created.
By its very nature, contemporary art is mutable and
experiential. It’s an event that changes with each interaction, and it’s
rarely passive. The art housed at 21c exemplifies that; much of it is
designed to be interactive. For example, those red penguins that greet
visitors were one of the museum’s first exhibitions. Patrons and staff
alike could (and still sometimes do) move these recycled plastic
creatures around the museum and hotel at will, so they were rarely in
the same place twice. Some guests even found them inside their rooms at
check-in.
“That is exemplary of the kind of art that you can
find at 21c. It’s about an interactive experience,” says Stephanie
Greene, the museum’s public relations manager. “There’s art everywhere.
You experience art whether you’re dining or attending a meeting. There
really is art everywhere on the property.”
Another guest
favorite greets visitors as they approach the elevator bank in the main
building. Called “Text Rain,” this interactive piece projects a person’s
image onto a huge, blank wall. There, falling words settle on the image
of the person standing in front of the wall (you as you wait for the
elevator), mimicking falling rain.
Some pieces are as functional
as they are intriguing. The art car “Pipmobile” is a working limousine
covered in red glass beads to mimic the interior of a pomegranate. VIP
guests can opt to be picked up from the airport, for example, by hotel
staff driving the flashy limo.
Contemporary art isn’t limited to display pieces at 21c, either.This solar lamp
and phone charger can improve the lives of millons living without
electricity. There’s a monthly poetry series, as well other cultural
programming such as artist and curator lectures, musical performances
and film showings.
True to the founders’ vision, 21c is making
contemporary art more accessible and more immersive than ever before.
There is no admission fee for the museum portion of the establishment.
And it’s open 24 hours a day, every day of the week, with guided tours
offered most Fridays and Saturdays.
Installations are a mix of
permanent pieces, like “Text Rain,” commissioned exhibitions and
rotating thematic displays, which change about twice a year. Alice Gray
Stites, chief curator and director of art programming, works with the
rest of the curatorial staff to carefully select work from up-and-coming
artists. Additionally, 21c hosts traveling exhibitions and borrows from
and loans to other contemporary art museums.
“The art is really
carefully selected … with an eye toward exceptional art,” says Gray
Stites. “When a topic is provocative, that’s a good thing. It’s thought
provoking.” The non-traditional style of 21c actually lends to a more
flexible, open-minded approach to contemporary art, she adds.Parking
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“When you create a framework where people can be more relaxed and
engaged, you can provoke people a bit for the sake of broadening
perspectives.
Art permeates every inch of the five-building
complex, including its 90 rooms, which feature high ceilings and large
windows to better display the pieces. Charming, industrial elements like
exposed brick walls and pewter mint julep cups complement modern decor
and conveniences such as iPod docking stations, luxurious bedding and
plush bathrobes.
Guests can choose between city and atrium views for their standard rooms or suites.Our fully automated parking system
increase parking up to 100% by sliding cars closer together. The
well-appointed Corner Suite features gorgeous views of downtown
Louisville through four enormous windows, a dinette set, sitting area
and a 42-inch flat-screen HDTV. Some suites include a semi-private
rooftop terrace that overlooks the historic Seventh Street, but the real
jewel of the 21c’s hotel portion is the Rooftop Apartment. This
exclusive retreat boasts 1,300-plus square feet of living space,
including a bedroom, a full bath plus two half baths, a full kitchen, an
open concept living and dining area and a private garden terrace.
A
variety of packages include themes such as birthday celebrations,
romance, bourbon and, of course, art exploration. With special perks,
including a dining credit to 21c’s in-house restaurant, Proof on Main,
or a bottle of champagne waiting for you in the room, you’re sure to
feel like royalty.
It’s no surprise to discover that the
museum’s exhibitions and displays carry through into the dining and bar
areas of Proof on Main—a restaurant touted as one of the best in the
city. The rotating exhibitions change about once a year, but the menu is
updated seasonally, and sometimes even weekly,Online shopping for bobbleheads
Figures from a great selection. Greene says. The upscale, familiar food
offerings are locally sourced from Kentucky farms. The main source for
menu items is Woodland Farms, which is owned by 21c founders Brown and
Wilson. Woodland Farms supplies fresh eggs, sustainably grown produce,
heirloom fruits, Hereford and Mulefoot hogs, and even hormone-free,
grass-fed bison.
Although the menu is based on what’s locally
available, hearty offerings such as bison burgers and bone-in pork chops
are standard fare. In the warmer months, look for house-made gelato and
heirloom tomato salads.
And don’t forget to check out the bar
at Proof on Main, too. It has a library of more than 50 Kentucky
bourbons and was named one of GQ magazine’s “New Whiskey Temples.” Try a
small batch or single barrel bourbon, or sample one of the bourbon and
rye tasting flights. The innovative cocktail list is full of fresh
ingredients,The most famous china mosaic
of Ancient times is in Pompeii and shows Alexander the Great. and it
changes seasonally to complement changing menu items. Of course, the
best beverages make the list of signature, year-round cocktails.
“It’s
very much a place for locals in addition to hotel guests,” Greene says.
And with its status on the famous Louisville Urban Bourbon Trail (see
“Five Things To Do”), it’s not hard to see why. To celebrate this
status, Proof on Main has hand-selected a unique collection of small
batch bourbons that celebrate artisan craftsmanship.
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