Louisville Unearthed: We know the Silver Dollar, but who is this "Alberta Stoll" person?

Most Louisvillians are familiar with the Silver Dollar, the bourbon-bar-meets-honky-tonk in Clifton that used to be a fire station. But how much do most of us really know about the building’s history? Not a lot.

One of the oldest intact firehouses in the U.S., the multi-story building was constructed in 1890 and originally was established for Louisville’s Hook and Ladder Co. No. 3. Today, it’s not just a hip bar and restaurant, it’s also on the National Register of Historic Places.

That weird inscription on the front that most pronounce “Alberta Stoll”? That’s actually Albert A. Stoll, a lawyer and former Louisville alderman who originally was born in Philadelphia. When Stoll was young, his family, which was from Germany, moved to Louisville, where he was educated and graduated high school in 1870.

In about two years, he was practicing law and soon became active in government, including a term in the state legislature, where he played a key role on the Committee of Codes and Practices. This committee revised many state codes, some of which are still in effect today.

The Silver Dollar building is named after this former Louisville alderman. (From “The History of Kentucky.”)

The book “The History of Kentucky” described Stoll as, “Portly, with blue eyes and dark brown hair, and an erect figure of medium height. He is known for his suave address and cheerful disposition, but capable, when occasion arises, of stern and inflexible treatment of persons and policies, under a sense of right and duty, whether in public or private life.”

It continued, “His record has always been for a clean government, and against jobbery and monopolies, for which he has won the confidence and sympathy of the people.”

It’s easy to see why he held office for so long, as he served on the Board of Aldermen into the 1890s. (We could use more politicians like him, right?)

The tribute on the firehouse facade apparently was a nod to his ongoing service to the city, and it could be speculated that perhaps he was instrumental in securing funding for the firehouse. (His son would later have medical offices in a building across the street, so it’s possible Albert A. was a Clifton resident himself.)

The building meanwhile, originally had a clock tower built into it (or so it appears in the undated photo below), and served a hook-and-ladder firefighting team that worked with horses and carriages pulling steam pumpers in order to fight fires. It’s possible the tower was also used as sort of a “watch tower,” so that firefighters could physically keep a watch over the immediate area around Pope Street and Frankfort Avenue.

Inside, there’s still a mural of a map of the city which was first painted there in the 1960s, plus one of the original fire poles. Word is, the space now occupied by the restaurant’s kitchen areas originally was a horse stable. The building served as a fire house into the late 2000s before a new one was built nor far away on Spring Street.

Today, the old firehouse still serves the community as a great place to get whiskey by the drink and some fried oysters or chicken and waffles. Of course, the façade over the bay in tribute to the former alderman remains. And people still continue to mispronounce it. Some things never change …

Every Friday, Louisville Unearthed will bring you an unusual fact, historical nugget, place, person, etc., that you may not know about our city.

Top to bottom: Undated photo of firefighters in front of Hook & Ladder Co. No. 3, courtesy the National Registry of Historic Places; a 2008 photo, not long before the building became The Silver Dollar, via Wikimedia Commons, and modern-day exterior and interior photos; .