Jefferson County Clerk’s Office Fink, to finish the job, which he did in 1858, streamlining the original design. Gone were the massive stone columns which would have stood on each side of the building, along with a high-rise cupola dome over the rotunda area. Post-Civil War, Louisville’s government kept growing, and by the 1870’s the city moved into its own city hall across the street and in 1900, the county courthouse annex building was built in the alley in back. A fire in the I thought it would never warm up. Spring is such a beautiful time here in Louisville, full of the color and excitement that only our trademarks signature events bring. The Deed Room located on the second floor of Metro Hall has been completely renovated. We have also been very busy here at the Clerk’s Office as the divisions have begun working on their many initiatives set before them for this year. We continue to work with the Kentucky Department of Transportation as progress moves forward on the new KAVIS (Kentucky Automated Vehicle Information System) statewide system. Upgrades and changes constantly are taking place. The Election Center staff is preparing for the May 22nd Primary Election. Jefferson County will be using their new voting equipment for the first time. We just launched a new Jefferson County Election Center website. Just log on the Clerk’s website and proceed to Voter Info. You may want to check your voting location as some polling locations have changed since the 2016 election. You can also confirm your voting location and preview a sample ballot. If you would like to work as an Election Officer, you can apply online or call the Election Center at 502.574.6100. Save yourself a trip to one of our motor vehicle branches. Consider the convenience of renewing your motor vehicle registration by mail, phone or online. If you have any questions or suggestions as to how the Clerk’s Office can better serve you, please contact us. As always, we look forward to serving you! Bobbie Holsclaw Jefferson County Clerk The latest renovation of our JCCO facilities has, interestingly enough, taken place in our oldest building: the Deed Room of the historic Jefferson County Courthouse, now sometimes called the Metro Hall. The building dates back to 1842 and has been a solid presence in our town, even as everything has changed around it. The building was designed by the noted Kentucky architect Gideon Shryock who pioneered the Greek Revival form in America. He also designed the Old State Capitol in Frankfort and Transylvania’s Old Morrison Hall. This was the fourth Jefferson County Courthouse at or near this spot, the previous iterations being much smaller. Called “Guthrie’s Folly”, for James Guthrie, Louisville’s leading citizen*, who planned what was then such a large facility, as he hoped it would bring the state capital to Louisville. That obviously didn’t pan out, but you can see even today in the design of the building how that would have worked. Our 2nd floor Deed Room would have been the Senate chamber and the large 4th floor room above it, the House chamber. Although both the city and the county governments officially moved in by 1842, the building was still an ongoing project as the county struggled to find the money to complete Shryock’s elaborate design. Guthrie eventually brought in the chief engineer of the L&N Railroad, German-born Albert A Message from the Jefferson County Clerk Courthouse Serves On Through History By: Frank Friday Esquire Director continued on page 2 Spring 2018