On Saturday morning May 19, 1951, what do you think Louisville residents thought when they opened their Courier-Journal newspaper and saw this bold headline on the front page: “G.E. Selects 700-Acre Site Near Buechel to Construct Multimillion-Dollar Plant”, with a sub-headline: “16,000 Jobs Likely in 3 to 6 Years”
Most likely everyone was both surprised and happy to read about one of the metro region’s most significant economic development projects in history. The General Electric Company, (and since 2016, the Haier Company), has employed thousands here since 1951. Today, the plant still manufactures its signature appliances such as dishwashers, dryers, and ranges. An impressive record as many other similar manufacturing factories have been closed and relocated outside the U.S. during the past 70 years.
As with the readers of the Courier Journal on that historic morning, the news staff had many questions about this surprising announcement:
Why Louisville? “A major consideration in the choice of Louisville was its location on the Ohio River for steel shipments, and its location near the center of population and the center of distribution” according to Clarence Linder, general manager of G.E.'s major-appliance division.
Why Buechel? Several other sites were considered. “The Okolona site would have required more earth-moving, and more expensive drainage. G.E. also inspected the Indiana Ordnance Works near Charlestown, but turned that down because utility rates and taxes were higher than at the Buechel site” according to Linder. It was also noted that “the (Buechel) area is fairly flat.”
Why is it called Appliance Park? “It will be landscaped to give a parklike atmosphere. There will be extensive planting of trees and shrubbery. The power plant will be equipped with modern soot-reducing devices and chimneys especially designed to reduce smoke to a minimum. Appliance-manufacturing operations do not produce odors objectionable to the neighborhood.” Linder explained as well as “no finished jet engines will be built or tested, hence there will be no objectionable noise.”
Why jet engines? Jet engine parts were to be initially built here due to the Korean War that was underway then. However, by the time the plant became operational, the jet engine parts were no longer needed and therefore just appliances were manufactured from day one.
Why rezoning? A zoning change approval is "the final step to be taken by the company to determine whether we can locate 'Appliance Park' in Louisville" per Linder. There were a total of 22 parcels of land that were zoned for residential that had to be rezoned for heavy industrial use. June 7, 1951, just three weeks after the announcement, the rezoning hearing was scheduled in what must be a record for this somewhat controversial process.
What did the nearby residents think? Also in the May 19, 1951 newspaper, Grady Clay interviewed several nearby residents: "It's the gold rush!" said a boy gazing at the afternoon newspaper. "Now we'll have to get a bigger fire engine," said a member of Buechel Volunteer Fire Department. "Where'll we get another place to live like this one?" mourned another housewife. "Things are gonna be a lot more crowded out here," said Beverly Slater. "It's too big a thing to take to court and try to fight (the rezoning)," Mrs. Kiser commented. "Anything that's good for the city is good for us" said Lewis C. Tingley.
How did real estate prices change? On May 27, 1951, the newspaper reported that real estate prices around the plant had already soared. Asking prices “had gone out of sight . . . A farm was put on the market after the G.E. announcement at $500 an acre, when previously the owner wanted $300 an acre for it.”
After the basic questions were answered, G.E. wasted no time getting this massive project underway. Within two months after the announcement, July 12, 1951, G.E. acquired the 700 acres and started construction. The initial cost was $14 million, or about $170 million in 2024 dollars.
In the July 28, 1951, newspaper, G.E. placed a large ad saying it wanted to be a good corporate citizen in Louisville: “Good wages, steady employment, recreational facilities, educational and advancement opportunities, forward-looking employee benefit plans and corporate and individual contributions to the support of welfare agencies and civic activities.”
Construction continued through 1952 and the first clothes dryer was shipped Feb. 6, 1953, from Building #1. By 1957, more than 2 million laundry appliances had been assembled. Employment reached a peak of 23,000 in 1972. Economic turmoil in the 1970s reduced the employment to around 11,000. Today, about 6,000 are employed over 920 acres. By comparison, the Ford battery plant in Glendale, Ky., is planning on 5,000 employees over 1,500 acres.
Steve Wiser, FAIA, is a local historian, author, and architect.
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