Old Kentucky State Fairgrounds

It's August in Louisville, which means it's Kentucky State Fair time. It's held annually at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, opened in 1956 and located on over 400 acres of prime urban real estate near the airport. But the event has been a fixture in Louisville since long before 1956. The first fair was held in 1902 at Churchill Downs. It went to Owensboro the next year, there was no fair in 1904 (legal matters), Lexington hosted in 1905, and it came back to Churchill in 1906. Then the state decided a permanent site was needed. It picked 150 acres in West Louisville bordered by Southwestern Parkway on the west, Gibson Ln. at the south. Over the years, the state built a sprawling complex that was home to the fair 'til it moved in 1956. The highlights of the facility were the Pavilion for shows (third photo) and the Merchants and Manufacturers Building for exhibits (bottom three). The latter survived and remains in use today by Whayne/Caterpillar Supply Co.