Jack Ward at his drafting table, 1956
Jasper D. “Jack” Ward was having lunch one day with his grandson, Lacey T. Smith Jr., when Jack had an idea. He drew his idea on a napkin, humming as he sketched. Lacey was quiet, not wanting to interrupt his grandfather’s creative process. Jack had just drawn the chimes that would eventually grace an alleyway on 7th Street between Main and Market Streets in downtown Louisville.
Growing up in New Jersey and Pennsylvania during the 1920s and 1930s, Jack had always known he wanted to be an architect. His father, Jasper Dudley Ward II, was an engineer, surveyor, and sculptor. His mother, Constance Fargis Allen, was an artist, gallery owner, and reporter. His step-mother, Theodora Van Wagenen Ward, was an Emily Dickinson authority, writer, and artist.
Jack was born October 8, 1921, in Flemington, NJ, and he died January 13, 2002, in Louisville, KY. Jack served in World War II; on the GI Bill, in 1948, he earned his architectural degree from MIT.
In 1956, he moved to Louisville, Kentucky, with Lucretia Baldwin “Lukey” Ward. He and Lukey raised five children together. He formed his own architectural practice.
Architects who worked with him had the freedom to experiment. Music usually played, rolled-up blueprints were stored visibly and efficiently in overhead beams from the ceiling, and there was a sense of excitement in the productivity.
The geometry of Jack’s concrete forms, the burst of primary colors, and the playfulness of his designs showcase the late 19th century/early 20th century design principle that form must follow function. His designs reflect his sense of humor and irreverence as well as his sense of a bracing and beautiful order in the midst of chaos and the natural world.
Many of his works can be seen in the following links and photographs:
Several articles in Broken Sidewalk about the architecture of Jasper D. Ward
Courier-Journal article about Jasper D. Ward
Courier-Journal article’s gallery of Jasper D. Ward
The Filson Historical Society Jasper D. Ward archives
The Filson Historical Society event honoring Jasper D. Ward
Ollie's Trolley, 978 S 3rd St, Louisville, KY 40203
Photographs by Lacey T. Smith, Jr.
Doctor's Office Building, 250 East Liberty Street 40202. 1970
Photographs by Lacey T. Smith, Jr.
Federal Parking Garage, 711 Magazine Street, 40203. 1968-1970
Photographs by Lacey T. Smith, Jr.
Portland Elementary School renovation, 3410 Northwestern Pkwy, Louisville, KY 40212. 1967-1968
Photographs by Lucretia Tye Jasmine and the one above by Lacey T. Smith, Jr.
Sky window/renovation of dome at University of Louisville Administration Building, Belknap Campus, South Third Street, 40292. 1975
Photographs by Lucretia Tye Jasmine
The Sixth Street Parking Garage, with Luckett &Farley, 120 South 6th Street, 40202. 1985-1987 Photographs by Lucretia Tye Jasmine
First Christian Church, U.S. Hwy 42, Louisville, KY, 40241.
Photographs by Lacey T. Smith, Jr.
St Francis, 11000 W U.S. Hwy 42, Goshen, KY 40026. 1970 Additions: gymnasium, science classrooms, art room, 1982 library, computer center, language classrooms, 1974
Photographs by Lacey T. Smith, Jr.
E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park's pool area, 3000 Freys Hill Rd, Louisville, KY 40241. 1960s-1970s
Photographs by Lucretia Tye Jasmine
Louisville Gardens Parking Garage, 415 S. 6th Street (Sixth to Armory Street at Cedar Street), 40202. 1989
Photographs by Lucretia Tye Jasmine
EduPlay, 1960s-1970s
Photographs by Lucretia Tye Jasmine (the photo above is not of the architecture but the colors remind me of JDW)
Chimes, 7th and Main Streets, Louisville, KY 40202. 1983-1990
Photographs by Lucretia Tye Jasmine and the one above by Lacey T. Smith., Jr.
Personal home renovation, front view, 6601 Mayfair in Prospect, KY 40059. 1987 Photograph by Lucretia Tye Jasmine
rear view, photographer unknown
Lakewood Baptist Church, 13803 Shelbyville Road, Louisville, 40245 Photograph by Lacey T. Smith, Jr.
Kentucky School for the Blind, with Robert Kingsley, 1867 Frankfort Avenue, Clifton in Louisville, 40206. 1975 Photograph by Lacey T. Smith, Jr.
Student Activities Center at U of L, Clock Tower, with Johnson Romanowitz, 2100 S Floyd St, Louisville, KY 40208.
Photographs by Lacey T. Smith, Jr.
Nephrology Center/Cancer Research Center Photographs by Lacey T. Smith, Jr.
Parking garage
Photograph by Lacey T. Smith, Jr.
Mike Walsh liquor store, 200 East Market Street (on the corner of Brook and Market Streets), Louisville, KY 40202.
Photographs by Lacey T. Smith, Jr.
The City Blueprint Building aka The Love Boutique, with Fred De Santo, 140 West Jefferson Street (the corner of Second and Jefferson streets), 40202. 1968-1969
Photographs by Lacey T. Smith, Jr.