Phase 1 completes at Riverside’s Farnsley-Moremen Landing visitor center, expanding event space and river access

First phase delivers larger gathering room, new support spaces and an outdoor court

Phase 1 of the visitor center expansion at Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing in southwest Louisville has been completed, marking the first major construction milestone in a multi-stage plan to reconfigure the site’s public-facing facilities along the Ohio River.

The initial scope was designed to increase capacity and improve functionality for public programs and rentals while better orienting the building toward the river. The phase centered on expanding the visitor center’s multipurpose room to roughly double its previous size and raise its overall occupancy to about 250 people, a change intended to broaden the range of events the facility can host.

What Phase 1 added to the visitor center

The completed work includes both interior and exterior upgrades that collectively increase building capacity and expand usable event space. Improvements in Phase 1 include:

• An expanded multipurpose room designed to open more directly toward the Ohio River.
• A new food preparation area built to function as a catering support space and as a classroom when needed.
• Additional restrooms to accommodate higher attendance.
• Installation of new acoustical treatments intended to improve sound quality in the primary gathering room.
• A new outdoor event court connected to the addition, with accessible paths, lighting and paved surfaces.

The project’s design places greater emphasis on the site’s river setting, adding visibility and access that had been limited by the previous building configuration.

Budget, contractors and project context

Phase 1 was part of a renovation and expansion initiative described as a nearly $2.5 million investment, with Louisville Metro government contributing about $1.5 million from the city’s general fund and additional funding raised through private support. Miranda Construction served as the construction firm for the work, with K. Norman Berry Associates acting as lead architects.

Riverside, located at 7410 Moorman Road, sits within a historic park landscape on the Ohio River and also functions as a trailhead location associated with the Louisville Loop’s Levee Trail segment. The visitor center is used for tours, educational programming and community events, and it has also served as a venue for private gatherings.

What comes next: Phase 2 remains a fundraising target

Planning documents for the overall expansion identify a subsequent construction phase that would add expanded museum exhibit space, new classroom and archaeology lab areas, a river-view gallery with balcony access, and additional climate-controlled storage for artifacts and documents. Fundraising for that later phase has been described as ongoing, and no completion date for Phase 2 has been formally established alongside the Phase 1 completion.