LHL AWARDS

Named for the League's co-founders, Rev. Clyde Crews & Allan Steinberg, this award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to Louisville history over many years.

The 2026 Founders Award honoree is Harvey Sloane.   Harvey was mayor of Louisville between 12-1973 to 12-1977, & 1-1982 to 1-1986. He was a strong advocate for local preservation and history. 

This award is named for longtime Courier-Journal reporter Martha Elson who, over a period of 40 years, wrote thousands of articles featuring the Louisville area's neighborhoods. 

The 2026 recipient is Ameerah Granger. Ameerah led the effort to have the Chickasaw neighborhood as a Preservation District. 

Branden Klayko was a LHL Board member and produced the popular blog 'Broken Sidewalk'. Branden was very passionate about preservation and historical efforts. He helped save numerous buildings such as the Coleman Building at the southeast corner of Jefferson & Third, which is now part of the Marriott Hotel. Branden lost his battle with cancer in 2017.

The 2026 recipient of the Klayko Award is Cynthia Cooke.    Cynthia was a neighborhood leader in the Bashford Manor district. She owned the Bashford Manor Bed & Breakfast where she sponsored numerous history oriented events.  Cynthia was also an advocate for the history of Eliza Tevis, an African American leader in the Newburg area during the mid-1800s. 

The Heritage Award recognizes important history contributions by an individual or group. The 2026 Heritage Award recipients are as follows:

 Housing Partnership for the Gateway of Broadway (1405 W Broadway) 

Louisville Free Public Library for                       renovation of the Portland Library 

Joseph Workman & Soon Bahrami for restoration of 1001 Bardstown Road

Jill & Warren Schimpff for                                Schimpff's Confectionary Legacy

Mo Deljoo for NuLu Marketplace

First awarded  in 2013, the League recognizes an author who published a book in the previous year which continues the legacy of Sam Thomas, who wrote  over 20 exceptional books on local history.

The 2026 recipient is Eileen Yanoviak for her book  "The Tenacious Nurse Nichols"