In the beginning.

It all started late in 1999. A handful of private property-owners and the City began collaborating on a bold new vision for East Main Street in downtown Louisville.

The vision? To transform East Main Street into a thriving, mixed-use, urban neighborhood that offers opportunities to live, work, play and learn.

The area was dubbed eMain, and the “e” has since come to mean more that just “east” or “electronic” - it also stands for education, (business) evolution, a vibrant place to engage with colleagues and competitors, an exciting neighborhood, and an energizing, creative environment.

In February 2000, then-Mayor David Armstrong convened a design charette to gather ideas for eMain from property-owners, e-buisinesses, venture capitalists, educators, technology professionals and other interested stakeholders. The result was a report outlining a vision for the district, an assessment of needs and key goals for making eMain a distinctive, inclusive, cosmopolitan “urban village.”